Torva Veritas
by WordsofMimir
Summary: Post Time Skip Naruto returns to Konoha five years after he left, with a problem in the form of a blond child. His past has turned him into a strong ninja, but is he strong enough for the heart breaking challenges that are coming? NaruHina
1. Prologue: Quiescere

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This fanfiction is in no way endorsed or approved by the people who do.

Summary: The intention of this fic was to create an alternate view of world of Naruto, not recreate the common fanfic cliches. It is not visible in the beginning, but I hope to shoot for a grittier, more real feel in my fanfiction, as I see the ninja world in a light that is not so pretty contrary to what many authors tend to portray in their fics. The story begins at the end of Naruto's training journey with Jiraiya (The time skip in the manga), which has taken a bit longer than originally intended.

* * *

Torva Veritas

Prologue: Quiescere

"Aww c'mon, why can't we just stop and take a small break? We've been walking all day!" A scowl directed at the older of the two traveling partners could easily be seen on the boy's face.

The older man chuckled to himself a bit. "That's no way to talk, it's only a bit further, and besides, what kind of ninja complains about sore legs on super important mission?" In his best impression of the Third, he turned to the boy, "A true ninja must know to put the needs of his mission on a higher priority than the needs of himself."

The young boy cocked an eyebrow and placed his hands on his hips. "Don't try to pull that on me! That may have worked when I was just a little kid, but I've gotten a lot smarter since then. You've taught me better than to just follow a mission blindly, just like that time with the scary shark guy where you had to..." The boy was silenced with the lighthearted remarks and hand of his companion.

"Boy, you know I told you to stop telling those ridiculous stories. I have no idea where you get that tendency from." The boy's cold stare of death showed that he knew exactly where it came from. "Alright, alright, I'll make a deal with you. Make this last leg of the journey easier on me and I'll treat you to whatever meal you want once we're back in Konoha. Deal?"

"Deal! But you're going to regret it!"

"I'm sure I will short stuff, I'm sure I will..." After a quick ruffle of the boy's blond hair, the man picked up the pace, somewhat excited to see Konoha again after his unexpected separation of five years.

* * *

Five years.

Five years since she had accepted this damn job, and five years of paperwork to prove it.

With a deep sigh, Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, relaxed back in her chair, ready for a break from this paper castle she had built around her desk. While it was usually a good plan to try and do the work as it came in, rather than let it build up, Tsunade was never one to actually think a situation out in advance. All planning did was tie you down to routine day in and day out, there was no risk involved at all. Having no plan meant always having the opportunity for a little surprise, and if the cards turned out just right, maybe even a big one. The result of this thinking now blocked The Legendary Sucker's view of her office door; one did eventually have to pay their tab no matter how hard they tried to run away.

But then again, this paperwork didn't exactly require... how should she put it, a ... sober ... Hokage, and there was no harm in having a little bit of fun while working, right? Right.

With that matter decided, she reached over the worn wooden desk to her favorite hiding spot for her emergency stash of sake. Shizune had been quite the resourceful enemy in the past, but she still had a ways to go until she rivaled one of the legendary sannin. A simple alteration of the same genjutsu she used on her body, and viola, the all important emergency stash looked just like a paperweight in the shape of her favorite slug. No better place to hide something than right out in the obvious.

Her flawless logic was immediately interrupted as she lifted the paperweight up off the stack it had claimed for today. Right on top sat a crumpled letter, with her name scrawled in blue pen and a slight red stain in the upper left corner, but that wasn't the most interesting part. A small, red frog sticker sealed the letter shut. Only one person was stupid enough to send a private letter to the Hokage with a marking that would immediately reveal who wrote it, and that person happened to have unruly white hair, the status of legendary sannin, and an obsession with anything involving scantily clad women.

Another sigh escaped Tsunade as she shook her head and broke the seal on the letter.

_My Dearest Tsunade,_

_While I obviously cannot go into details due to the nature of how I am sending this message, I figured you could do with a little heads up. Expect us back in a couple weeks, some problems have been solved, but as always, new ones have arisen. We think it should be safe to return to Konoha for awhile, but put out a few more watchdogs till we get there and can affirm the situation. I'm sure the kid is gonna be a bit excited to see his home after such a long time, so try and keep it together until we get back._

_Yours Truly,_

_Jiraiya_

Well, this certainly was good news. Unforeseen circumstances had made it so Naruto couldn't return in the original time frame, but if Jiraiya said things were ok for now, she would trust him. Those same unforeseen circumstances had kept her from hearing much word about Naruto's wellbeing over that time period as well. Jiraiya had sent her a measly two reports, the first one six months into the journey, stating he was sure Akatsuki wasn't planning to move for at least another two years, and that this meant he would need to keep Naruto out of Konoha, for the safety of the village, once they started moving until a solution could be found. The second letter she had received about a year later; It was a hospital bill Jiraiya had forwarded to her with a quick note that said, "Sorry."

She also had no clue when exactly this letter had arrived, which was partially her fault since she had been avoiding her desk like the plague for the past week and a half. That meant that this little situation needed to be taken care of ASAP, but, as fortune would have it, being Hokage also meant being able to push your work onto others.

"Shizune! Get in here, I need some help with something!"

* * *

Hinata could not believe what was right in front of her eyes. After all this time waiting, not even knowing if she would be graced by this sight ever again, here it was, right where she least expected it. Her pulse quickened with excitement at her discovery.

Her mother's favorite white lilies, right here in the flower shop owned by Ino's family. Who would have thought that the new trade agreement with Mist would have brought these into Konoha? She remembered very little of her mother, but she did remember her tending to her garden as a little girl, with these flowers being her favorite of them all. Unfortunately, Father had them removed after her death, which, she had reasoned, was because seeing them hurt him too much. This also meant that she wouldn't be able to put any into her garden, which saddened her a little bit.

"Hinata!" An overly excited blond called out to her, and she turned around to face her.

"Ino-san, its nice to see you. It has been quite awhile since we last talked. Your training must have you pretty busy." Ino walked over to her, a scowl now on present on her face.

"You're tellin me, Ibiki is a slave driver. I know this is the best choice for me since I'm not too adept in combat situations, but still, you think he could give me a break every now and then." With that said, the girl let out a small sigh, and performed a complete emotional 180, a sly smile on her face.

"So, what brings you here Hinata? Finally ready to take Kiba up on his offer?" A bright blush immediately flared on the young girls cheeks. Thankfully, the past three years of her life had been filled with a little social training for her future position, else she might immediately have reverted back to her stuttering, finger pushing ways.

"Not exactly, I just noticed the lilies from outside. My mother used to grow them when I was a child."

"C'mon Hinata, you've been waiting around for five years now. A 17 year old girl as pretty as you has no reason to be sitting around at home on Friday nights! Live it up a bit! While I hate to say it, we have no clue when Naruto is coming back, if he ever is."

This earned the blond girl a cold stare from the young Hyuuga. "Naruto-kun will be back, I know it. He has to, because he promised he would become Hokage one day, and I know he will."

"Your loyalty amazes me Hinata, but you don't even know if hes going to be the same Naruto that left." Another sigh was let loose by the girl. "But I have to say, Naruto was always one for surprises, so you may just be right. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt him any for you to go have a little fun with Kiba though, would it? Plus if you show some interest in a guy, your Dad might let these talks of arranged marriages I've been hearing about slip away for now."

"That's true, but it just wouldn't feel right. Kiba's a nice guy, but..."

"But nothing. Just give him a chance Hinata, things may turn out for the best, who knows? A little fun never hurt anyone."

"I suppose...that it would be ok... but just this once."

"Perfect!" The sly smile Ino had been wearing turned into a full blown one. "Now to figure out what you're going to wear."

"B-but Ino-san.." Trapped in the jaws of the beast, Hinata was dragged up into Ino's room. Maybe Ino's training in persuasion and interrogation had been going a little too well.

* * *

"There she is my boy, Konoha in all her splendor and glory." The older man broke a wide smile, and spread his arms out to reveal the spectacle.

"Doesn't look all that great to me, its just a normal town."

"That is where you're wrong short stuff. This place means the world to me, and I hope that one day it'll mean the same to you. This is where you'll be training to be a ninja, aif everything goes well."

"Really, you mean it papa? I can't wait to be a strong ninja just like you!"

This got a chuckle out of the older man. "All in good time, but before I forget, wipe those whisker marks off your face before we go into town. I know they make you look amazingly cool and all, but it might not be a good idea to keep the facepaint on when you're in town with me."

"Why papa? I want people to know that I'm the son of the super strong Uzumaki Naruto!"

"I know kid, I know. Lets just say that in this town that name doesn't have the reputation it does elsewhere. Maybe later you can put them back on, but for now no whiskers."

"Aww.." The boy wiped the markings off his face with the back of his hand.

"Alright then, into Konoha! I hope the Old Man's ramen stand is still there, I promise it'll be the best ramen you've ever eaten."

"But we always eat ramen! You even told me I would get to pick where we ate, and besides, it can't be good for a growing boy like me! I heard it even stunts your growth!" Naruto would never learn who taught him that one, but he had his suspicions. Jiraiya had complained about Naruto's eating habits enough over the years to be a suspect.

"Its a risk I'm willing to take!"

"What?! Hey!"

The older of the two blonds took off running towards the gate, laughing the whole time while the smaller boy chased after him. Times like these were a much needed break from the life he had been living. He just hoped his bad times weren't following him into Konoha.

* * *

(A/N) A bit confusing? I would imagine it came out as so, but give the plot a little bit of time to develop before making any radical judgement calls. First note - before I get comments – Do you think a 17 year old Naruto could have a child he was biologically responsible for? The correct answer is no in this case, so put those fears aside for now. If anyone would like to pre-read my chapters for me, just send me an e-mail (address in profile). Comments are welcome as well. Any help at all, really, would be greatly appreciated. 


	2. Chapter 1: Remigrare

(A/N) – And so the story truly begins, with the return of Naruto in Konoha society. I felt the desire to represent one of the most underused characters in Naruto fanfiction, the pig Tonton, mostly on a whim. Thanks goes out to Mylo and Telepopmusik for getting me through the initial writing of this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the series. This story is not endorsed by the people who do.

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Chapter 1 : Remigrare

Two pairs of eyes, one blue and one green, peered out from behind a bush at the chuunin who was currently on guard duty for the gate into Konoha.

"Alright short stuff, think of this as your first undertaking for the good of Konoha. You'll need your top game for this B-class mission, you understand me?" Naruto turned to his young companion with as serious a face as he could muster.

The young boy snapped to attention behind the bush. "Affirmative!"

Again, the imitation skills of the Third came in handy. "As Konoha has been missing the presence of myself over the past five years, I fear for the security of the village. With no one around with my...outstanding qualifications..., I believe the skill of the guards may have depreciated. A good guard must always be on its toes, ready for any surprise. We will infiltrate Konoha, all the way to the Hokage, as a test of their current capacity." As Naruto saw the serious, yet eager, look on his companion's face, it was hard not to burst out into laughter. "Your job, since your identity is not yet known in this village, will be to act as a decoy, allowing me to gain entrance. Once inside, you must gain access to the Hokage of Konoha, which from this moment on will act as the rendezvous point. This mission will include contact with ninjas at least of chuunin rank, and possibly even jounin. Are you willing to accept this mission for the wellbeing of our future nation?"

"You can count on me sir!" Perhaps he had gone too far, he almost felt guilty tricking the kid into a prank like this. Almost.

Jiraiya had made sure Naruto had gained at least some leadership training over the years, even so far as to get him involved in some politics during their extended stay in Rock. While he knew that he hadn't been taught these skills for such a trivial reason, the results of this endeavor would be well worth any nagging feelings of guilt.

"I knew that you had what it takes. Make me proud son." With that said he ruffled the boy's hair and moved back further into the woods. It was going to be a little tricky to sneak around, but certain abilties given to him by a perverted hermit had more uses than just not being seen while peeping.

Naruto watched as the younger blond approached the gates, wailing and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. 'Good thinking kid, you're a natural at this.' He got a good chuckle as the chuunin caught sight of him; the poor kid had no idea how to handle the situation.

"Uhh...kid...you okay over there?" The blond played the part perfectly; as soon as the chuunin called out to him, the crying increased and he sat down right in the middle of the road. This forced the chuunin to move out, allowing Naruto to sneak right up to the gates undetected.

"My momma...she's...she's..." Naruto had no idea how the boy managed to sob even louder. The chuunin was panicking at this point; ninja training unfortunately lacks any information on how to deal with an upset child.

"Umm, it's ... ok, yeah that's right, everything is gonna be ok. Here get up and I'll bring you inside and see if we can get you some help kid. " He helped the blond boy up onto his feet, and immediately tugged on his hand back towards the gates.

"What's your name kid?" Apparently this chuunin had at least some experience with younger children as he knew one of the most important rules; distractions are key in controlling the normal, volatile youngster. Naruto just hoped this kid wouldn't get distracted from the mission at hand.

" sniff Its Kenichi, Pengaki Kenichi. " The younger child wiped his eyes as he followed the chuunin up to the gate. The ninja was so worried about dealing with his current situation, he failed to notice as Naruto hid himself as a small frog doll attached to the boys backpack.

"Kenichi-chan is it? We'll have you help in no time. Just head with me and we'll see what we can do." The boy nodded slightly, his eyes still tearing up.

The two walked through the streets of Konoha, heading towards the Hokage tower. The first kink in the mission appeared as Kenichi's eyes lit up at the appearance of a shop that served dango. Naruto's time as an amphibious plushie was to be extended.

'I swear, that boy's love of dango will be the end of me.'

* * *

Tonton the pig was having one of the worst days of her life.

It had all started this morning with with the loud groan of the current Hokage of Konoha. Tonton's bed was located in the Hokage's office, as this was usually where she spent her days, and it allowed her easy access to the women who gave her affection. An unfortunate outcome of this situation occurred on the mornings after the Hokage had "worked" late into the night, leaving Tonton in the difficult situation of dealing with an extremely powerful, hungover ninja who had spent her entire night asleep at the desk. This morning had been one of those mornings.

However much Tonton loved Tsunade, she had to admit the woman could be scary as hell when hungover. The normally attentive and caring Tsunade she knew was replaced by a grumpy, absent-minded zombie, whose only goal in life was the removal of her own pain. Tonton had to literally jump out of her bed to avoid being stepped on, as the Hokage rummaged through the shelfs above the pig looking for some medicine. Needless to say, after five minutes of weaving and dodging the moaning monstrosity, she was left alone in the office, forgotten and hungry.

The obvious decision in this case was for Tonton to take matters into her own hands. This included going out into the waiting lobby to see if there were any people nice enough to give her some food. Even if it was a bit embarrassing, Tonton would admit as a pig she was willing to eat pretty much anything.

This plan would have worked well, as it had done before, if not for one thing. In between Tonton and the life-sustaining material she so badly desired stood one thing, an obstacle to even the most respected of pigs: a door. Tsunade, apparently, was able to remember to shut doors behind her, but no to feed her own pig companion.

30 grueling minutes later, the door was opened by the mail boy, dropping off the first load of paperwork, and the starving pig was able to use her final bit of energy to dash out into the lobby. The rest of the morning preceded fairly well, with Tonton managing to sneak some of a bagel away from the lady who worked at the front desk.

With her hunger satisfied for the time being, Tonton returned to the office to proceed to her job of stress reliever for the day only to find that Tsunade was visibly excited about something, walking out of the office smiling with a letter firmly grasped in her hand. Tonton, for the second time, had been completely forgotten.

This was where the day took a turn from unusually bad to downright horrible. A young blond boy, dango in hand, had been escorted into the lobby by a chuunin, and took a seat to wait for an audience. Tonton had never seen this boy before, but felt oddly comfortable around him, as her logic put everyone who liked dango in the list of trustworthy people. Never had she been more wrong.

As the boy caught sight of her, an odd feeling of deja vu washed over the pig, as his wide grin and scheming glint seemed all too familiar. The chuunin escorting the boy was currently explaining the situation to the lady at the front desk, and the boy bent over and made a beckoning gesture directed at the pig. Tonton accepted, and soon found herself being lifted into the boys lap and offered one of his dango. Excited she had made the right choice, the pig completely focused her attention on consuming the delicious treat. She was oblivious to the boy as he pulled one of his many paint brushes from his pocket, and ignorantly thought he was showing her affection through petting as he used brush the express his creativity with her body as the canvas.

The gravity of the situation hit Tonton as the brush ran over her face, finishing the boy's masterpiece. She immediately jumped down and ran from the boy's laughter, squealing all the way out of the room.

And now, here she stood in front of a mirror, trying to figure out what the boy had done. A mustache had been drawn across her snout, and glasses across her face, sealing the image she knew to be stereotypical of such a prank. She was extremely confused by the strange runes written across her side though, as Tonton had never been taught to read. She let out a pig-like sigh though her snout; she would never know that the scribbles spelt out, "Free Bacon."

* * *

Three dango stops later, Naruto was finally closing in on his goal, and the chuunin escort was closing in on an empty wallet.

He had almost lost his henge as he saw his son abuse his artistic skill on Tonton. Why had he never thought of that? This boy had a bright future ahead of him.

As the doors to Tsunade's office creaked open, Naruto detached himself from the boy's backpack, and was able to keep out of sight with a slight alteration of the jutsu, waiting for the right moment to appear.

"Hokage-sama, I'm sorry to bring such a trivial matter to your attention, but the boy requested this matter be brought to you once we arrived at the tower."

"Thank you Goro-san. You may leave while I talk to the young man." Same baa-chan – straight to business.

As the door clinked shut, Tsunade brought her attention to the boy.

"Now boy, what is your name and what can I help you with today?" Naruto slowly snuck around the edge of the room, silently positioning himself behind the Hokage. With a glance at Kenichi, he knew he didn't have much time; the boy had never been able to handle himself well around positions of high authority due to his past.

"Uhh, M-my name is Pengaki Kenichi...and...uhh..."

"Of the Pengaki clan of the Rock? What brings you all the way out here to Konoha by yourself?" The strong glare of the Hokage was overbearing to the boy. Naruto would need to act soon.

"Y-yes, and well... I ... uh..." The poor boy was sweating bullets.

Now or never.

With a giant poof of smoke, the current Hokage of Konoha found herself in a very dangerous situation. An unknown assailant was positioned behind her, with a kunai pressed against her throat.

"My my, getting sloppy in your old age are we? Maybe you should spend less time scaring the shit out of young children and more time keeping Konoha secure, eh Tsunade-baachan?"

The eyes of the legendary sannin went wide at the name she had just been called.

* * *

"Hahaha, baa-chan you should of seen your face. It was priceless."

Needless to say, Tsunade had been pissed. To think that this boy found threatening the Hokage of his own village amusing. After a complicated explanation to the ANBU who had arrived, Tsunade found herself with a young man and a small boy in her office, and even though they may have caused a few problems, she was happy to see them.

The young man was very different than she remembered him, but this was to be expected after five years of seperation. Although still recognizable at the blond prankster, he stood before her well matured, his 6 ft height a testament to that. His blond hair had stayed unruly, although he had let it grow out and kept it in a ponytail, so that it mirrored his perverted sensei's own hair. He had followed his sensei in another manner as well, giving himself red face markings by painting over his whisker marks, she assumed so that they could be passed off as simply facial tattoos.

His face had become well defined, as all young men's faces do in time, and he had finally ditched his orange jacket for slightly more respectable clothing, now dressed in a dark red long sleeve shirt, with a black ninja vest worn on top. He had removed the left sleeve of the shirt, as his left arm was completely wrapped in bandages up to his hand. Strange glyphs were written across the bandages, most of them unknown to the Hokage, but the ones she recognized scared her a little bit; they were wards used to seal off evil.

He wore black, fingerless gloves with a metal plate across the knuckle, clearly intended for combat use. Another shocking revelation came to her as she realized he had three medium-sized, clay pots strapped to his right hip, the kanji for sake written across each one. She would have to kill Jiraiya later; he was 17 for god's sake. She also noticed the ends of several brushes poking out from inside his kunai holster strapped to his black pants.

All of her questions would have to wait for now, until the situation with the young child who also shared the room could be resolved. He was around 7 or 8 she guessed, wearing a dark green shirt with what she assumed to be his clan symbol, and a pair of khaki shorts.

She let out a sigh. "I know you enjoyed the prank Naruto, there's no need to remind me. I just received the letter from Jiraiya today stating that you would be heading back, but where is the old pervert?"

"He had some last minute business with our publisher, so he took a detour on the way back to deal with it."

"OUR publisher?" Naruto broke out a wide grin and nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Hehe, well you see it's a long story, and that can wait until another day. The matter at hand is why I'm here right now." Able to avoid topics he didn't want to talk about; Tsunade was impressed. He was closer to his goal than she would have thought. "Last month we had a small run in with Itachi and Kisame, and it seems they have their hands full for the time being. While they were trying to capture me, the other Uchiha made a surprise appearance, and now they have their hands full enough trying to deal with him and his posse. Ero-sennin and I agreed that this is as safe as it gets for now, and decided to make a return trip to Konoha in order to deal with a few matters." Tsunade noticed Naruto's glance at the boy and figured she would learn the details of these "matters" later when he was not around.

"Well in any case, I'm glad to see you're back brat. Your contract with your apartment was lost while you were gone, but I had your stuff put into storage for safe keeping. I'll set you two up with a hotel room until we can find a more permanent solution. I expect you back here later tonight Naruto for a more detailed report, but you two should rest up for now." 'Plus this way he won't notice I'm completely unprepared for his return.'

"Hai, I'll see you then baa-chan."

The two blonds stood up to leave, the younger of the two obviously excited to get out of the current situation.

"Oh and Naruto..."

"Yes?"

"You better have a good reason for being the successor of Jiraiya's perverted legacy." With a slight chuckle Naruto shut the door behind him.

* * *

(A/N) This turned out a bit longer than I originally intended, but I needed to give a good description of the new Naruto and his companion. Hopefully you were able to pick up on his personality changes, although he still kept his love of mischief. The boy follows after his father, but I wanted to show he is his own person with his own troubled past (to be revealed later). Tell me what you think of this chapter, and if you contacted me about becoming a pre-reader I'll get in touch with you before the next chapter. Reviews are appreciated – the more you tell me, the better this story will be in the end. 


	3. Chapter 2: Paenitere

(A/N) I apologize for the long delay on this chapter. My school runs on a trimester schedule so I had to deal with finals and such. I also need to apologize to the people who e-mailed me as potential pre-readers, as I did not contact you as I said I would. With my updates currently being so random, I feel like I would be a huge bother on the pre-readers, and I always want to get my material out as fast as possible.

This chapter was written with the intention of bringing the story closer to some of the most important scenes, and I view it as a "bridge" chapter. I started writing this fanfic with a few amazing ideas, but it took me a little bit of time to figure out how to chain them all together. Hopefully this fic still seems to flow along well, and I would like any comments about what you think in reviews you leave.

Response to Reviews:

Kingdom-Avenger: Thanks for the praise, and I plan on Naruto running into Hinata next chapter, as I have a rough outline of the encounter in my head.

a pen name that no one has: Haha, I was never expecting someone to comment on my vocabulary, but thank you.

Kagirinai Wanryoku: I really don't see how any sane guy could live with Jiraiya for five years and not come out at least slightly perverted, unless he was a saint. Not to mention a ninja going through puberty – natural stealth and an obscene amount of hormones can only lead to so many things. You get to see a glimpse of the explanation behind Naruto's authorship here, but as of now he is only a guest author in the series. I have a great idea for him and Icha Icha later on, but it won't appear until later on in the story.

Lyon Ryuushi: This chapter is as far as it is going to go for any Kiba/Hina, and Kiba's jealousy will come into play later.

Dragon Man 180: Well, I apologize for letting the date happen, but I felt as if I made it to where you can tell Hinata is still fixated on Naruto, rather than Kiba. I doubt I'll make Naruto fixate on Hinata immediately, as it doesn't seem realistic, but all in good time.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, never will. This fanfiction is not supported by the people who do own Naruto.

* * *

Chapter 2: Paenitere

Jiraiya was slightly agitated.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly what I said Jiraiya-sama, the fan letters have been coming in, and they want us to give your guest author his own series. They were greatly impressed with his modern style. They're calling him the next genius of the sensual novel"

Correction. Jiraiya was pissed off.

Why did he even train apprentices in the first place? His first one surpassed him in combat, and now this new one was not only going to do that, but take his writing legacy as well?! Damn him and his weakness for training blond haired brats.

"That gaki's writing can't have gone over that well! He's not even legally old enough to read these kind of books, much less write them!"

"That's what I told you! Need I remind you that this was your idea in the first place. If I remember correctly, and I quote, 'The world of perverts accept all men, young or old! As my apprentice, I must share him with the world!'"

Dammit. He had him by the balls. It was all originally a ploy to give him more time to do research and keep the gaki busy at the same time. In fact, he could never remember a time when a choice to peek more had led to good consequences.

"Fine, fine, I'll talk to him. But I want him to keep the Icha Icha name, and..." he tapped his chin while deep in thought, "...boxed sets, that way I get some of his profits."

The publisher cracked a small smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Good. Then I expect #47 in stores in a few weeks. I'll send a message your way with the gaki's response."

Jiraiya stood up and walked himself outside. He was proud of his students, but for godsake, couldn't they at least wait until he was dead to exceed his reputation? Now that the larger matter was taken care of, it was time to head to Konoha, and figure out what to do about this Akatsuki and Uchiha business.

* * *

Hinata took a deep breath as she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't help but blush a little bit; while she had always thought about wearing something other than her normal jacket, she had never built up the courage to do otherwise.

'I wonder what Naruto would think about...'

"I think I have done a fabulous job here Hinata, wouldn't you agree?" Ino stood behind Hinata, hands on her hips, with a proud smile displayed on her face as she disrupted Hinata's thoughts. "Though I am a bit disappointed that this dress never looked as good on me. That lavender suits you perfectly; you're lucky I like purple so much"

Her blush became a tad brighter at Ino's words. "Thank you Ino, but I'm not so sure about that. I just can't see myself wearing this out in public."

"C'mon girl, you look great! You just got to believe in yourself a little bit and everything will turn out ok!" Ino grasped her on the shoulders as if to give her confidence through her touch.

'Believe in myself.' These words brought back memories of her first chuunin exams and her fight with Neji, back in the preliminaries. Naruto's words on that day had helped her stand back up, and were the root for the change that led to the modern day Hinata. She took to heart his words, and continued to better herself, always attempting to never give up. Not that she always succeeded.

"Oi, Hinata! Snap out of it!' Ino frantically waved her hands in front of the girls pale eyes, bringing her back to reality.

"Daydreaming of what you and Kiba are going to do tonight?" A sly smile broke out on Ino's face.

"N-n-no." The stuttering reared it's head as her embarrassment increased tenfold.

"Eh, don't worry about it. When he sees you in that dress, it'll keep him stuttering all night,and he'll be putty in your hands."

Hinata didn't believe her for a second.

* * *

Naruto was pleasantly surprised as he walked around the village of Konoha. Apparently the combined effects of being hit with a stick by puberty and being away from the village for five years had removed the glares he received from most of the villagers. Key word being most. He was surprised to see the random villager here and there eye him down, but it was in a much different manner than he remembered. It was a blank stare, and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the dumb looks on their faces. It really made him wonder what he had done. These people almost seem as if they had seen a ghost.

Bah. He really shouldn't pay attention to stuff like that. He had gone through his childhood ignoring what the villagers thought, why worry about it now. What was important was that he needed to find a store to buy some clothes at. That last scuffle with Akatsuki had left his clothes in a tattered and worn state. As he continued his aimless meandering with Kenichi, his eye caught the sign of a nostalgic sight; it was the store where he had bought his orange jumpsuit.

"Here we go short stuff, let's run in here real fast before we go eat. I think you've had enough dango to last you awhile anyway."

A groan could be heard from the younger blond. "I hate clothes shopping!"

"I know kid, but it's a necessary evil, kinda like those little vegetables in ramen."

* * *

"Welcome! Ah, Uzumaki-san, it has been quite a long while since we last saw you here." An old women with a bright smile on her face greeted the two young men.

A male voice called out from the back. "Dear who did you say that was?"

She gave out a small sigh, and retold him. "It's Uzumaki-san, Nobu-kun."

An old man wobbled out of the back room, resting his weight on a cane and a hand held up to his ear for improved hearing.

"I'm glad you remember me Obaachan." Naruto truly felt glad he had made such an impact on the woman, but it seemed a bit odd that she was able to recognize him from how he looked when he was 12. He had shopped here often though, due to his tenant, as it was the only store in Konoha which would let him shop unhindered. It was owned by a nice old couple, who had custom made his old orange wardrobe.

With a laugh to herself she walked over to better see the young man. "Who wouldn't? You were quite the character back in your youth. And who is this we have here?"

The boy broke out into a wide grin, "Name's Pengaki Kenichi, and I'm his son."

"A bit young to have a son aren't we Uzumaki-san?" the old man asked as he approached.

"Nah! It's great! I haven't regretted it for one second since I adopted him back in Rock."

A look of understanding appeared on the couple's faces. "I see. Well, I'm happy for you boy, you have a mighty fine father there." Kenichi smiled even wider, nodding his head vigorously to show that he agreed. "Now what can we help you with today Uzumaki-san?"

"I just need to pick up some new clothes, and couldn't think of a better clothing store in all of Konoha." Jiraiya had taught him that a little flattery could go a long way.

The old woman took out a measuring tape and gestured Naruto over to a footstool. "I have just the thing in mind, but seeing as you've grown a bit since you were last here, I'll need to take a few measurements."

45 minutes later, after Naruto pulled Kenichi away from playing games with Nobu, he walked out of the door of the store feeling even more confident than usual. These clothes looked amazing! He would have to give a pat on the back to whoever designed them.

He had replaced his vest with the Konoha issue vest, which meant it was designed slightly different, and sported a forest green color rather than the previous black. The lady had recommended another dark red shirt, as it matched the most important aspect of his new look, a body length red cloak, with a high collar and white flames that laced the hem. It gave him an odd feeling of deja vu, like he had seen it before, but it was best not worry about such things.

As he walked down the street, heading towards Ichiraku's with Kenichi, he couldn't help but notice that the amount of stares had increased

* * *

"They say the apple never falls too far from the tree, but boy he is the spitting image of his father, ne?"

"I say, if it wasn't for those whiskers he would be a mirror image. You think we made the right choice in dressing him like that Nobu-kun?"

The old man let out a cackle. "Maybe it'll knock some sense into the other villagers, seeing him as a ghost. God knows he deserves some respect."

"You're right dear. I just hope it all turns out ok, especially the shock on him when he finds out."

* * *

Hinata couldn't believe it. Ino had been right.

When Kiba had shown up at her house in nicer clothes than usual, with his hair somewhat tamed, and without the now giant Akamaru, she had been pleasantly surprised.

When his jaw dropped as he saw her in the pale lavender sundress, and he stuttered his greetings, Hinata's world had collapsed. She refused to believe that she, shy little Hinata, could have this sort of an effect on people.

Even though Kiba was acting strangely, with the out of character occasional blush and stammer, Hinata had to admit she was having a great time. Kiba had brought her out to a nice restaurant, one in which the Inuzuka clan was known to frequent, and dinner had been lovely. Afterwards Kiba had led her into a beautiful park, which contained one of the nicest arrangement of flowers she had ever seen.

And now, here she was, being escorted back to the Hyuuga estate by Kiba. It had been a wonderful evening, all in all.

But...

..it just hadn't felt right. Hinata enjoyed Kiba's company, but she really wasn't able to view him as anything more than a good friend and teammate, which she knew he didn't want. Hinata had found her mind wandering throughout the evening, always towards a certain blond-haired young man. First at dinner when a young boy was whining to his mother about the lack of ramen on the restaurant's menu, and then in the garden by a large group of orange marigolds. Her eyes had been deceiving her as well, as she could have sworn she saw a mass of blond hair in the clothing store they had just passed.

As hard as she tried, she could not stop her mind from always returning back to Naruto. She even felt like she was betraying him somewhat by going out with Kiba, which was ridiculous as the boy had barely acknowledged her in the past.

Lost in thought, she was broken out of her trance by Kiba's voice.

"Well Hinata, thanks for this wonderful night. I'm really glad you finally decided to go to dinner with me."

"No, thank you Kiba-kun. It really was a lot of fun, I would really like to do it again sometime." She gave a warm smile to Kiba as she entered her home and mentally added, 'I just wish that it would be with Naruto-kun.'

* * *

"Now listen to me short stuff, what you are about to experience may become one of the greatest memories of your life. Ichiraku Ramen is the stuff that makes up legends, you hear me?"

The young boy ran ahead, pulling on his father's pants leg "Hai, hai, papa. Let's go already, I'm starving!"

Naruto was lost in his own dream world and went into nostalgic lecture mode. "I remember my first bite of the ambrosia known as Ichiraku ramen very well. It had been a rainy day, and I had just failed the written test on chakra control basics, when my sensei decided to try and cheer me up. You would really like him Kenichi-chan; I wonder if he's still around Konoha somewhere." At this moment, Kenichi dragged his father into the stand, and right into said instructor.

Iruka had decided it was a nice night for ramen. He had kept coming here, even after Naruto had left, as it was one of his favorite places to relax in. Even with the little brat gone, the atmosphere always reminded him of the boy and cheered him up.

"IRUKA-SENSEI!"

The newly appointed jounin ranked ninja looked over his shoulder to meet whoever it was that had called out to him. He didn't know he was about to run headlong into the biggest surprise in his life.

"Good god... Yondaime?!" Iruka's face went pale. How in the hell does a hokage who's been dead for 17 years show up at a ramen stand? Much less calling him sensei.

"Iruka-sensei, I can't believe you don't even remember your favorite student!" The young man's overenthusiastic behavior seemed familiar, and it wasn't until he saw that pout that he realized who he was talking to. This so happened to be the second largest surprise in his life.

A shriek even louder than the first followed. "N-n-naruto?!" The young man immediately enveloped him in a hug.

"It's been so long. I've really missed you over these five years sensei." Naruto pulled back, a wide smile on his face.

"Me too, me too. The Hokage wouldn't even tell me the details of your absence. Come on take a seat and eat with me; I'm sure you have some great stories from these past five years." The jounin hit Naruto on the back, his face not able to display all the joy he felt due to the return of the boy he viewed as a son.

This is when the third largest surprise in Iruka's life appeared, in the form of a young boy pulling on the back of his vest. He turned to face the youngster to see him ready to introduce himself, with an outstretched hand.

"Hi! I'm Pengaki Kenichi, and I'm really glad to meet one of my papa's sensei's."

"Papa's?"

Iruka really wasn't that old, but this was really too much for him to handle in one night. Naruto held onto him as he nearly fainted from shock.

* * *

Twelve bowls of ramen and a large amount of explaining later, Naruto left Ichiraku's with a full stomach and a lighter wallet. He had asked Iruka-sensei to watch Kenichi for a bit, as he had to meet up with Tsunade again later that night. He should have been happy, after meeting up with his adopted father and returning to his favorite food...

...but he wasn't. Iruka-sensei had told him of some events that had happened while he was gone; things he had never even deemed possible.

Naruto was left with a more important task before he reported to Tsunade.

* * *

A blonde-haired 17 year old boy stood in his team's original training ground, where he could fondly remember the day when he had become a genin. But this was not a time for dabbling in those memories.

A light drizzle was in effect over the entire area, and Naruto stood solemnly in front of a black stone, doing something he had not expected to be doing on his return.

Mourning.

As dusk was bringing a close to the day, Naruto scanned the list of names on the memorial stone, remembering his times with each of them that he knew.

Old man Sarutobi.

Even though he had passed away before Naruto had left, the pain of his loss quickly arose. He had been one of the few people to actually treat him as a human during his childhood, and he had found memories of his time with the man always happy. The first day of the academy when he patted him on the back and told him he was proud. Trying to steal his hat with Konohamaru so they could feel what it was like to be Hokage. The unmarked monthly allowance in the mail that he knew came from him.

He had died honorably protecting his village and beliefs, protecting his precious people. Naruto aspired to be as strong as him.

Sarutobi Asuma.

Asuma had died on a mission. That was all Iruka knew, as the information had been kept top secret. He would make sure Tsunade spilled the beans.

Naruto really hadn't known the man that well, but he had respected him. He always remembered seeing him with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth; sometimes he had caught him and Shikamaru playing Shogi as he walked around Konoha. Asuma had been a kind-hearted man, even if he had always been a little gruff. He would need to vist Konohamaru. The last few years must have put a terrible strain on the boy.

Maito Gai and Rock Lee.

Naruto couldn't believe his ears when Iruka-sensei had said they had not returned from a mission about a year ago. The report had said that they had fought to the end, protecting a village on the border from an invasion led by the remnants of sound. Tenten and Neji had both been badly wounded, and the two men had fought while the villagers and injured were evacuated and taken back to Konoha. They were heroes, and Rock Lee had finally lived up to the ideal of the great ninja he was always striving to achieve.

He could still hear their exuberant shouts of "GAI-SENSEI!" and "LEE!" in his head, along with rantings about the "springtime of youth." He would have to decide later if this was a good or a bad thing. He would carry on their drive to get stronger and love of hardwork in himself

'I promise that from now on, I have to do better to protect the people important to me. I can't believe I have failed so badly in years past; I can't let it happen again.'

Footsteps could be heard approaching behind him, as the feet pushed into the now moist earth. Naruto wiped away the tears on his face, even though the rain had masked his grief. He turned around, putting up a mask of a smile to greet whoever his guest happened to be.

"Sensei?" The lazy jounin's one visible eye widened in surprise as he called out to the man he thought to be his teacher.

"Man, I'm starting to feel like people must have forgotten me or something. First Iruka-sensei and now you, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto widened his foxy grin as much as he could, happy to be able to meet another one of his friends in Konoha, even in such a sad setting.

"Then...Is that really you Naruto?" Kakashi continued to step forward, getting a better view of the young man.

"In the flesh. It's nice to see you again Kakashi." As much as he tried, the current enviroment prevented him from raising his mood too much. Not that he thought Kakashi-sensei would really want a hug anyway.

"I had heard some rumors that you were back today. I see you heard about the casualties that occurred while you were gone."

"I never imagined that anyone would die while I was gone. I guess I should have known stuff like this woul dhappen in five years." Naruto let out a sigh.

"It is the life of a ninja Naruto. Never knowing who will be here tomorrow, including yourself. Take that lesson to heart. It's important that we remember the past and learn from it, but we cannot live in it. I for one wasted much of my life that way until I met you and the rest of team seven. Memento mori."

"Hai Kakashi-sensei, memento mori." With a simple nod, Naruto walked away headed towards Tsunade, leaving Kakashi alone at the memorial stone.

* * *

(A/N) Alright before I save this and upload it, I figured I should explain "memento mori" for those sane people out there that didn't take latin like me haha. It's a common latin phrase, roughly translating to "remember that you will die." The phrase is intended to be a reminder of mortality, kind of like a subtle sieze the day. While I know latin wouldn't appear anywhere in the Naruto saga, it felt like it fit too well into this part for me to pass up. Kakashi is trying to tell Naruto that he can't regret his past decisions, all he can do is live the best he can in the present.

I guess some people might be upset that I killed off Gai-sensei and Lee, but out of all of Naruto's friends, I believe that they are at the greatest risk for death. While they are very strong, their heroic ideals and loud nature don't increase their chances for survival. I feel I gave them at least an honorable death, and it allows me to do some fun stuff later with the images of Tenten and Neji. Plus I don't think I could write them very well haha.


	4. Chapter 3: Denarrare I

(A/N): This chapter took me a good while to get out, because I promised that I would get to the Naruto/Hinata meeting. It definitely took a lot longer than expected, as I had to cover quite a bit of information in my flashback. I ended up with chapter 4 nearly doubling the size of the entire fic, so I split it up into two chapters. To meet my promise, I am posting them both at the same time, so you get the Naruto/Hinata reunion, along with plenty of flashback! It's a great deal, I know.

* * *

Chapter 3: Denarrare I

With a swig from one of the sake containers at his hip, Naruto took a deep breath and burst through the doors into the Hokage's office in his usual manner, masking his previous somber mood.

"Tsunade-baachan!"

It was true that in the past Naruto only burst into Tsunade's office because he didn't know better. As age had matured him not only in body, but in mind and manner, he did it now just because he knew it pissed her off.

Today's reaction was not what Naruto expected.

The sight before him was a new one. Even when he had mastered the rasengen in front of this woman, and had defeated Kabuto, he had never seen a gaping Tsunade. She was rarely taken completely by surprise, and showed it even less. This was a case to be taken down in the record books.

"Gaki! What are you doing wearing those clothes?" In his hasty entrance he had failed to notice the second person in the room, who so happened to be his perverted sensei.

"Aren't they cool?!" Naruto flipped around to give emphasis to the red cloak. "I had to replace my old worn out clothes, and the lady at the store said I should get these. She has really good taste."

Jiraiya let out a sigh, his face in his hand. "Don't you even realize whose clothes those are? You're dense as ever." Jiraiya reached into his pocket, pulled out a wallet, and fiddled through it until he came to the picture he was looking for, which he then threw at the blond.

"Eh? This guy looks just like me!" Another sigh escaped the frog hermit.

"That's the point, baka. It's a picture of my first apprentice when he was around your age."

"Oh you mean the Fourth? No wonder these clothes look so cool!" This revelation only increased Naruto's excitement about the situation, as his brain failed to make the obvious connection.

"Jiraiya, just what are you trying to say...?" Tsunade, who had just recently recovered from the bad case of shock, was fortunately a bit sharper than Naruto.

"Geez, and I thought the Hokage would have figured it out in five years time. You're one of the few that has access to the documents. Oh well, it's time he learned anyway."

"What do you mean?" Jiraiya was going to have to put it plainly for his student.

"Naruto, you are the son of the Fourth."

"...EH?!!!"

* * *

Hinata nervously stood outside of her Father's room, unsure of whether or not to knock and reveal her presence. On one side, the faster she got his attention, the faster this whole sinking feeling in her stomach would go away. On the other, that meant she would actually have to deal with the situation sooner.

It had been quite a long time since she had been specifically called to his room. Usually they shared some relaxed words over dinner, which had become much more common since Neji had started to join them after the chuunin exams. Her father had started to actually act more like a father, rather than the strict head of the clan.

Only during these times when she was called to his room did he revert back to his old self, so these types of meetings always meant business.

Finally gathering up the courage, Hinata forced her hand up and created a solid knock.

A slight rustling of papers was heard, followed by a strong voice, "Come in."

Hinata slid the door open, revealing her father behind his desk. His white, pupil-less eyes were surprisingly less cold than she had expected, seemingly containing what she thought to be fatherly affection.

"Please sit Hinata."

"Hai, Father." Hinata, following her etiquette training from the past, was very proud of how she manged to come inside and seat herself, back-straight, with no incident.

"I heard you were out tonight with the Inuzuka from your team." That was Hyuuga Hiashi, always straight to the point.

"I was father. He took me to dinner." The best way to deal with this situation was to keep her manner similar to her father's. Concise, as to reveal nothing she didn't feel necessary.

"I am glad to see you becoming more socially active daughter. I wanted you to know that you have my approval." This was surprising. Praise and approval in an official setting? What was the world coming to?

"While in the past such pairings outside of the bloodline were frowned upon, times have changed since my marriage to your mother. The Inuzuka's are also a very powerful family in Konoha, and the power brought into our clan would be very beneficial." So that is were the approval came from. A marriage of the heir was always a great opportunity to bring more power into the family. Well, at least the constant stream of suitors would stop.

"But that is not why I called you here tonight, Hinata." A confused expression ran over the young girl's features.

"You have been recommended for the upcoming Jounin exams. Hokage-sama says your growth has exceeded that of your current chuunin status, and that she believes you capable of passing. It would do us well to have another young jounin in the family besides Neji." This was a bit of a surprise to Hinata. Yes, she had been a chuunin now for three years, but Neji had only taken the exam a year ago. Her lack of self-confidence was always her downfall.

"I agree with the Hokage, and expect you to do well in the exams. You are to meet with her tomorrow morning at 9:00 to get the details." Did she just hear more words of support from her father? This meeting had gone well beyond her expectations.

"Yes father." She got up to leave the room, headed to bed after long, but surprisingly fulfilling day.

* * *

Tsunade wasn't quite sure how to process this new information.

All in all, it made sense, to the extent that she really wondered how she had never put two and two together.

The Kyuubi had to be sealed away in an infant, and it wasn't like the Yondaime would have been able to pick up any baby out of the hospital to use as a vessel. He had put the demon into his own son, as Naruto was the only person he could trust with the burden that would be placed on him.

She guessed she had looked past this because she had always seen her younger brother in Naruto, rather than the Fourth, but now the similarities were amazingly obvious.

The blue eyes, the bright personality, the "never-give-up" mantra, the strange ability to learn impossibly hard jutsu in no time at all, and most importantly, the wannabe bloodline that was their wild blond hair. Who else in Konoha had hair that even came close to resembling Naruto's?

And who else would name their son after a food found in ramen?

A single question appeared in her thoughts, but Naruto was the one who verbalized it.

"Why?"

Jiraiya looked up from his relaxed position into Naruto's eyes. "It was a hard decision for him kid. Not only to seal away the Kyuubi in you, but to keep you from knowing where you came from. While he's known as a hero here in Konoha, Arashi was viewed as a monster in other countries. Men were told to run if they ever met "The Yellow Flash" in battle, and rightfully so. He excelled in taking out whole squads of enemy nins, and although he only killed to protect our village, he made many enemies. All it would of taken was one ninja to take you out in your childhood, and Sarutobi could not offer you the constant protection that would be required if you were known to be the next Kazama."

"What exactly does this mean for me? And why tell me now?" Tsunade caught a glimpse of a Naruto she had never known. A strong man stood before her now, and she was proud of him.

"Well, for the second question, I planned on telling you once our training was over, which it now is. You will be re-enrolled into Konoha as Kazama Naruto, and you will be expected to uphold the honor your family's name holds. You are strong enough now Naruto, as a ninja and as a man. Besides, you didn't think I made sure you learned the Hiraishin just for kicks eh?"

"What?! He learned that technique?" Tsunade was genuinely surprised, as she knew of no record of the Fourth's signature technique.

"In a sense yes, as in he mastered a jutsu with the same effects. Arashi didn't leave behind a record of the technique, but I think he was able to piece it together with some clues. Naruto can explain it better than I can; he's the one who mastered seals."

Tsunade let out a drawn out sigh. This was going to be a long night. She had expected Naruto to improve a lot, but she wasn't even sure if _she_ could deal with the Hiraishin in battle.

"Just start from the beginning, I need a full report anyway. Plus you can explain the child you had with you earlier...," a glint appeared in Tsunade's eye, "...and how you picked up some of Jiraiya's less respectable habits."

A nervous Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well, I guess I should start with when we left the village, five years ago..."

It was going to be a long night indeed.

* * *

18 months after Departure – Naruto Age 14: 

Naruto and his sensei had spent the last year and a half in the woods of some undisclosed area. No matter how bad it sounds, Naruto actually enjoyed being away from society for a change. With only Jiraiya for companionship, he didn't have to worry about the hateful glares directed towards him, or keeping up the smiling mask he used to hide his pain.

It was just him, an old pervert, and a hell of a lot of training.

As soon as the duo had left the village, Jiraiya had explained the situation to the boy. Due to his status as a Jinchuriki, Akatsuki wasn't planning on leaving him be. Through his network of information, Jiraiya had learned that they didn't plan to move on the boy for about 3 years, but one could never be sure. Naruto was a safety hazard to the village inhabitants, and it was in the best interests of the village to remove him until the threat was taken care of.

While this pissed him off a bit, to think that once again his curse had made him be viewed as a threat, Naruto saw the logic in this plan, and understood that it meant he wasn't going to see Konoha again, for a long, long time. After the three year wait was up, he would have to stay with Jiraiya until Akatsuki was stopped in order to protect his precious people. This meant he had to get strong, and fast, as the faster he was able to beat them, the faster he got to go home.

It had been eighteen grueling months of training so far, but he could tell it was having good effects. Ero-sennin had molded him into a much more refined ninja than he was. At 14, his library of jutsu had increased from the single digit numbers of his academy days to the close to a hundred he knew now. While, in retrospect, he felt he could have learned more, Jiraiya had made sure he had only learned the strongest jutsu possible. It had taken him longer, but the weaker ones would have had no effect on the ninjas that composed Akatsuki. His taijutsu had improved, with a basic form now at least visible, but Jiraiya was not the best person to help with that. He was a ninjutsu powerhouse, and wasn't planning on changing in his old age. This applied to genjutsu as well, which Jiraiya had very little experience with. Naruto had made strides in his chakra control though, as his growth had allowed for the seal's power to meld further into his own. The one-handed rasengen was now a simple feat for the boy, and he was trying his hardest to tame the red chakra that came from the beast inside of him. Just a few weeks ago he had brought out three tails in his feral form, but it had not turned out too pretty. With a laugh, he realized that Tsunade should be getting the hospital bill around now.

Lost in his thoughts during his warm-up, Naruto failed to notice both his sensei's approach and the kunai on a collision course with his head.

His honed instincts took control in the last second, causing the kunai to graze across his cheek.

"Dammit Ero-Sennin! What the hell do you think you're doing?" As his brain rapidly tried to shift back into reality, Naruto came to a realization. When he had jerked his head away from the kunai, he had followed his trained muscle memory and moved the correct distance away. A normal kunai should not have hit him.

"Gaki pay attention! You always have to keep your guard up, you should know that." Naruto pouted at his sensei's words. Did this man think he was gonna get away with attacking him on a whim?

"Go grab that kunai, I need it for the jutsu I'm gonna teach you."

"What? Really?!" New jutsu? Ok, so maybe this time he would get away with it, but only because a new jutsu was involved. Excitement always overrode anger in Naruto's book, and he dashed off to retrieve the kunai.

He found it embedded into a tree a few meters behind where he had been warming-up. With some slight pressure, the blonde popped the weapon from its position.

"Ero-sennin what is this? It's got some weird writing on it, and the end of the kunai is all wrong. It's got some extra pointy ends." Naruto curiously examined his new toy as he approached his sensei.

"Well, that's because it's a specially crafted kunai. I took a few out of the Fourth's stash after he died, so I could try and figure out the Hiraishin."

"The Hiraishin?"

"Yeah, the Fourth's signature technique. All he ever told me was that he needed these kunai with their seals to use it, but he wouldn't ever tell me how to actually perform the technique. I tried for a few years, but I never could get the hang of it. That's where you come in."

Unfortunately for Jiraiya, deductive reasoning was not yet Naruto's forte.

"Huh?"

"Baka, it means I'm giving this one to you so you can play around with it. The Fourth was able to use these kunai to move faster than the eye, and was how he earned the name, 'Yellow Flash.' In a month we leave for Hidden Rock to get you a crash course in seals with some friends of mine, but until then read up on the basics with these scrolls I picked up." Naruto happily complied, immediately flipping through the first scroll.

Seeing his apprentice already hard at work brought a little pride to the frog hermit. A little more motivation never hurt though.

"Gaki, I'll be back to check on you for dinner. If you can draw me a perfect one element seal when I get back, I promise I'll make you some ramen."

* * *

20 months after Departure – Naruto Age 14:

Jiraiya had been blown away. Who would have guessed that Naruto would prove to be a natural with sealing techniques? Once he had the basic ideas down, Naruto was able to learn seals at a rate unseen to the Sannin. Seals normally took a person weeks of practice to learn, as every line had to be drawn with the greatest attention. It would seem the hyperactive blonde and the careful procedure of sealing would be at odds with each other, but the boy's nature only proved to increase the rate at which he learned due to his tenacity. In the first month, he had exhausted the material on the scrolls, but the most amazing factor had come in Naruto's ability to meld the seals into his combat strategy. Once the boy had a large library of seals combined with his creative streak, he would be a forced to be reckoned with.

The snag in the plan had appeared when the duo had arrived in Rock. The Pengaki clan of rock owed Jiraiya a favor, or rather the head of the clan owed Jiraiya a favor. The details of the situation were long and complicated, but let's just say Jiraiya's literary works held up their fair share in the creation of the heir to the clan. The problem came from Naruto's loud and boisterous nature.

The Pengaki clan of Rock was well known throughout the Shinobi community as containing the masters of sealing techniques. Their work was well respected, even reaching so far as to Konoha, where years ago the head had created the original caged bird seal for the Hyuuga Clan. The members of the clan were blessed with what some referred to as a bloodline, which lie in their ability to remember the intricacies of seals on sight. Others just called it a photographic memory. The clan was also well known for the stereotypical personality of it's family, as a large group of bookworms who sit in a library all day studying. The head of the clan was not a physically strong person, but his capabilities as a seal master were unparalleled.

The quiet, reserved nature of the Pengaki's did not react well to the bouncing ball of energy that was Naruto Uzumaki.

Jiraiya, in his ageless wisdom, knew his apprentice in his current state would not be viewed well, and spent their first month in Rock teaching the boy proper etiquette for clan and government related issues, passing it off as knowledge required for the future Hokage.

All of this led up to the nerve wrenching situation Jiraiya now found himself in. Across from the table at which he was seated was Pengaki Sho, current head of the Pengaki clan. He was a slight man, around the age of 40, with a pair of large glasses covering his eyes and a balding head. If his gaze was not so intimidating, Jiraiya would have found his appearance quite comical as he was the expected image of a Pengaki.

"It is good to see you again Jiraiya-sama. I expect you are doing well?"

"As well as could be expected Pengaki-sama. Let me introduce you to my apprentice, Uzumaki Naruto." Jiraiya gestured to the blonde who was trying his best to remain calm and composed. Naruto bowed to the elder man.

"Ah, he reminds me very much of your last apprentice Jiraiya-sama. I assume he is why you are here today?"

"Yes, he shows great potential with sealing techniques, and bears the burden of a seal himself, which we hoped you would look at." Naruto shot a glance at his sensei. He was not told that they would be revealing his status as the Kyuubi container.

"He is a carrier then? Of what?"

"Of the Kyuubi, Pengaki-sama. My last apprentice died sealing it into this boy." Sho nodded his head as he processed the information.

"I see. Well then, I will need to take a look at this seal and see if it passes Pengaki sealing standards, which I expect it to do. The training I gave to Arashi would allow nothing else." The man beckoned Naruto over, while the guard in the back nervously fidgeted. Apparently, demon containers were not common visitors to the Pengaki house.

"Channel a bit of chakra into if you would boy." Naruto nodded and followed the instructions. Although he was doing well, it really took all he had to remain calm and respectful.

"Ah, Arashi did some very good work with this seal, using the Shinigami as the final factor. It seems while it is weakening, it is not entirely the Kyuubi's doing." This was news to Naruto. No one had told him anything about his seal weakening.

"Have you met with him Naruto?" Another surprising question.

"If by 'him' you mean Kyuubi, I have on several occasions Pengaki-sama. Originally it was only in life threatening situations, but I have come to be able to access him each time I use his chakra."

"As I thought. Little by little you are merging the Kyuubi's chakra with your own as you grow and train with the seal. Of course, you are literally scraping only the foam off the top. The Kyuubi was an enormously strong being, and this seal restricts nearly all of his chakra. You will have to watch this seal yourself as you age, and it is your duty as his carrier to upkeep the seal. It remains strong now, but it will only weaken with time, and you stand no chance against the power of the Kyuubi inside of you in battle." This sounded a bit like a death sentence to Naruto.

"What are you saying?"

"I will take you in as a student of the Pengaki clan, and teach you everything I can, but in the end this battle with the Kyuubi will be decided by your resolve alone. I am saying that your fight will only become harder, as there is a reason there are no Jinchuriki recorded to live well into adulthood. No one in the past has been able to stand up to a demon forever Naruto, and even though the situation sounds hopeless, you must do everything in your power to do so." Naruto was the master of coming out of hopeless situations.

"I will not lose this battle Pengaki-sama, because I'm going to be the next Hokage. My dream is too important to be stopped by something like the Kyuubi." Naruto broke out his wide grin.

"We will see boy, we will see."

* * *

(A/N): If you would, please review these two chapters seperately. I had a hard time writing the flashback, and I'm not entirely happy with how it came out, so I would like some opinions on your thoughts. 


	5. Chapter 4: Denarrare II

Chapter 4: Denarrare II

32 Months After Departure – Naruto age 15:

Naruto Uzumaki stood out in his usual training field, doubled over and panting from his efforts.

It had been over a year since Ero-sennin had given him this Kunai, and he was still in the dark about how it worked. From his training with the Pengakis, he had identified two of the five seals present on the shaft, but it wasn't enough for him to go off of, as they were simple and commonly used. The first one on in the progressive sealing order was a simple chakra loop seal, allowing the sealist to put a set amount of his own chakra into a system, and loop it through the series, activating each of the following seals in order. The second seal was a unique identifier, created by the sealist in what he assumed was an effort to tell each kunai apart when used for traveling, as sight could not be used at such high speeds.

The next three seals were what stumped him.

In his training he had seen nothing like them, as they varied in shape and form from everything he had learned. Only one seal looked anything like those three, and it was on his stomach.

Needless to say, Naruto was frustrated. Especially today, as Pengaki Sho had deemed his formal basic training over, and he still had no clue what these seals were.

All of these things had lead him to one decision, and that was to show the kunai to Sho, and hope he could send him in the right direction. He originally had planned to keep the kunai away from the Pengaki head, in fear of losing the technique to someone else, but he had to finally admit he was stumped.

He found his goal while wondering back onto Pengaki grounds.

"Sho-sensei!" The older man waved at the boy, carrying several bags of groceries in the same direction. He prided himself on not forcing his servants to do all of the household chores.

"Good to see you Naruto. Your training is going well I presume?" He handed one of the bags over to the boy to carry.

"That's what I came to talk to you about sensei, I need some help with some seals I can't identify for a jutsu."

"Hmm I see, maybe this will help you choose which specialization of sealing techniques you want to go into, eh?" The man gave an affectionate smile to the young boy, who he had come to care for through his training.

"Most likely sensei, as I am going to make sure I learn this jutsu, no matter what the cost."

* * *

Pengaki Sho pushed his glasses up further onto his nose while letting out a sigh, closely inspecting the seals in front of him.

"Hmm, do you always have to choose the hardest path Naruto? Reverse engineering Arashi's signature technique are we? It won't be easy, and its going to cost you a lot, but I can help you."

A shriek of excitement followed.

"Really?! It doesn't matter what I have to do, I just want to learn this technique." Sho brought up his gaze, and looked the boy straight in the eyes.

"My sister, Pengaki Yoko, was known for her mastery of blood seals, some of which she taught to Arashi when he was here, and what I presume to be the unknown seals on this kunai. Unfortunately, my sister and her husband have been dead for 6 years now, when her devotion to learning new blood seals resulted in her death. It is not a pretty story, and I will understand if you do not wish to hear it."

Naruto shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. Please continue sensei."

"She had found an old book deep in the vaults, and had attempted to summon a small oni under her control with the help of a blood seal. The blood connection in the seal backfired however, and put the oni in control of her body. She slaughtered her husband and several others before I was able to stop her by her death with my own hands. I am not proud of what I did, but I knew of no other way to stop her." Sho took a deep breath.

"No one else since her has gone down that road of sealing techniques, and so the only way you would be able to learn these seals would be through self-study."

"Self-training will be harder, but I think I can handle it sensei."

"I know Naruto, I haven't gotten to the hard part yet. Yoko is not remembered fondly in our family, and anyone who follows in her footsteps will be looked upon in the same way. While I am sure it would not be something new for you, most of the family will not look kindly on you for this choice. It will also be a challenge to get to Yoko's notes on her work, as they are protected by her daughter on the outside of the village. Both of her children were exiled from our clan from fear, as a decision made by the elders. You will have to convince her to allow you access and move out of this compound, but I will support you if that is what you decide."

It would hurt. Naruto had come to feel at home with the Pengakis, as they understood the difference between being the kyuubi, and having the kyuubi sealed inside you. He might be throwing away the relationships he had made in the past year, but this was something he had to do. He would just have to prove to them that their prejudice on these seals were unfounded.

"I'll do what I have to."

* * *

Naruto took a deep breath.

He stood in front of an older, run down house, which had taken him a good fifteen minutes to find once he had left the gates of Rock. Throwing caution to the wind in his usual style, he knocked loudly.

A loud clanging of pots could be heard followed by, "Kenichi-chan, can you get that?"

"Hai, hai" The footsteps of the boy who gave the unenthusiastic response could be heard approaching the door.

A short boy, with straight, dirty blond hair and deep green eyes opened the door. This was followed by the boy immediately shutting the door in Naruto's face.

"Oi sis! It's some squinty eyed guy with whiskers! Do we know anyone like that?" Naruto had to bring Jiraiya's training into play to prevent himself from going through the door.

"No one I know Kenichi-chan. Why don't you ask him in for some tea and we can see what he wants." A groan from the young man could be heard. At least the sister wasn't rude. The door creaked open again, revealing the young boy's cold stare.

"Come on in squinty-eyes, ..." the boy's cold stare increased tenfold, " but for your own safety you better not be here to try and pick up my sister." Naruto had to give it to the kid, he could pull off the intimidation factor well. Time to pull out an old favorite: the nervous scratch of the back of the head.

"Heh, don't worry kid, I just came to talk about some information you two have." He could tell the boy didn't trust him for a second as he was led into what he guessed could pass for a kitchen. Inside was a lean girl, with shoulder-length blond hair, and the same green eyes as her younger brother. If Naruto had to guess, he would put her at about the same age as him.

"Please have a seat mister ..." Her voice fit her build, light and airy, but it held a certain strength as he guessed it should; she_ was_ raising a younger brother alone.

"Uzumaki Naruto, future hokage of Konoha. Pleased to meet you."

"Uzumaki then, the tea will be ready in a minute. My name is Pengaki Makoto, and this is my brother Pengaki Kenichi," the boy stuck his tongue out at Naruto when his name was mentioned, to which he received a slap on the back of the head, "but I assume you already know this as you came here for a reason." She was a straight shooter.

"In all reality, I came here to make a deal with you two." Naruto pulled out the Hiraishin kunai from his pouch. "The Yondaime of Konoha left behind some kunai that are the key to his secret technique. I just finished my basic training with the Pengakis, and I hoped to continue my training with the notes your mother made on the blood seals. She taught some to the Yondaime in her time, and I can't continue without learning some on my own."

"And what makes you think I would allow you to look over our mother's notes?" The girl considered her business, washing up a pot in the sink.

"I know how your mother died, and why you two are out here alone. I'm the same as you." Makoto raised an eyebrow at the boy. "I am the carrier of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the beast that attacked Konoha 15 years ago. I know what it feels like to be hated for something out of your control, and I want to prove the rest of the clan wrong for you by mastering these techniques." He had learned that the truth was a powerful tool.

"I'll let you look through her notes on one condition, ..." she stopped preparing the tea and turned around to look Naruto in the eye, "that you help me learn them too."

* * *

38 Months after departure – Naruto age 15:

Today was the day.

Time had passed quickly since Naruto had begun studying with Makoto, too quickly.

Jiraiya had left to gather information shortly after Naruto had begun the study of blood seals, returning just a few months ago to continue Naruto's training. He had come with a bit of unexpected information about a certain Uchiha. Apparently, Sasuke was just as good at betraying Sound as he was at betraying Konoha, and had jumped ship before Orochimaru had taken him as a container. He had escaped with his personal squad, in hopes of taking down his brother, which thankfully bought Naruto some time until his needed rescue. He was worried about what his friends in Konoha thought at his extended absence, but it was required.

And besides, today was too important to be thinking about the past. Today was the day he finally got the Hiraishin down. He had finally identified the fifth and final seal in the series, and the technique made sense. The third seal was an extension of the Kage Bunshin, and was the hardest in the series to identify, as the seal itself was unique to the sealist. Each Kage Bunshin is given individual thinking capabilities, but they are all created from the same mindset which they originate from. The third blood seal in the series recreates the hook to the mentality of the creator from the technique, so that the technique can be activated on mental command. The fourth in the series was a chakra string seal, as the chakra put into the kunai is linked to the source through a string similar to the ones used in puppetry techniques. The last seal was for rapid discharge of chakra. It had taken some thinking, but Naruto was sure he had the technique put back together correctly, and in all reality it was a pretty simple idea.

The Hiraishin kunai was not just special for it's three points, but for the metal that made it up, as it had the ability to hold a large amount of chakra. When the kunai was thrown, the user needed to fill the kunai using the first seal, to initiate the chakra loop, and the second seal allowed them to identify the kunai location through chakra signature. Activating the third with the mental link rapidly discharged the chakra pool in the kunai, and by creating a spin in the chakra string, the void created a pull through the tunnel on the chakra origin, and allowed for rapid acceleration in the direction of the kunai. It was truly an amazing technique, but as each fill of the kunai took as much chakra as a Kage Bunshin, it was not really effective for those without godly chakra capacities.

He would really have to get more of these made later.

* * *

48 Months after departure – Naruto age 16:

Naruto stopped his frantic running, bending over to catch his breath and re-adjust the bundle under his right arm. Goddamn did his left arm hurt.

The moon was high up in the sky, and gave Naruto a perfect view of Rock. Sadly,it would be the last he would see of it for a long time.

Things had taken a turn for the worst when Kisame had shown up at the door to Makoto's and Kenichi's shack. Things went as well as could be expected, a little yelling here and there, some punches thrown and things ended up outside. Of course, who else but Itachi was standing out there waiting. After getting beat around a bit, Naruto had to pull out an unfinished seal in an attempt to force the demon in himself to more fully awaken for a power boost. It had won him the fight, but cost him something precious. The technique had worked perfectly, bringing out more of the demonic chakra than ever before, and he had quickly scared Itachi and Kisame away. He had also manged to scare all of the ninja present in Rock at the time. The big problem arose when he tried to then repel the demon and return to his normal form. Naruto, in his usual manner, had failed to fully think out his plan before he initiated it.

This time he did not get away without paying a price; his left arm. The Kyuubi thought it would be a good plan to build up all the chakra Naruto had in his body into his left arm, effectively taking control of it. As Naruto was attempting to fight for the territory of the currently uncooperative arm, the ANBU of Rock and several of the villages most powerful ninjas appeared to investigate the large burst of power. Considering Naruto currently supported an obviously demonic appendage, things turned out well.

"Demon! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Some of the group was composed of Pengakis, who were not restrained in their opinions.

"We should have never let these kids live! Leaving _her_ notes with them! Look where this landed us!"

This is where Naruto found himself now, with a few of Yoko's notes and a small child, leaving a burning house behind him in his hurried escape from the mob. Thank god for the Hiraishin, as it was the only way he knew to get away from those ANBU.

He attempted to wake the sleeping boy at his side.

"Hey Kenichi-chan, wake up kid."

"Mmm, eh? Five more minutes." The eight year old wiped his eyes.

"We gotta get you hidden kid so I can go meet up with the old pervert, and find your sister. She took off a little ahead of me, so she should be fine."

"Sure, sure. I'll be up in a bit." Immediate snoring could be heard.

"Kid sleeps like a rock." Naruto tucked the kid in the niche of a tree, covering him up and taking off to find his sensei.

* * *

Current Day – Naruto age 17:

"Yawn That's pretty much the story Baachan. After that I found Jiraiya, but Makoto was long gone to who knows where. For the next year we did our best to avoid Akatsuki and train, and I did my best to seal off this thing, " Naruto gestured to his bandage covered left arm, "and we ended up here."

"What exactly did the Kyuubi do to your arm Naruto?" Her foreboding feeling from earlier had proven true.

"Well, when he shoved his chakra through it, he managed to get control of the arm temporarily, until the chakra dissipated. This wouldn't be a problem, but when he did it, he forcefully expanded my chakra pathways in the arm and created a hole in the seal. Basically, if I don't watch it, the fuzz ball can shove a load of his chakra into the arm and take control of it for a bit." Naruto let out a chuckle. "But, I've sealed up my arm as best as I could to prevent such a thing from happening. As long as I am conscious and can keep my normal amount of chakra flowing through my arm, the Kyuubi can't do anything. He does think its pretty funny to rip up my pillows and draw on my face when I'm asleep though." Only Naruto found the idea of being threatened by a demon in your sleep funny.

"You'll have to let me take a loot at it later brat, and see if there is anything I can do."

"Sure thing Baachan"

"And you never did explain why you decided it was safe to come back now gaki." Tsunade was impressed. This boy had gone through a lot in his journey and grown up quite a bit.

"Ah that. Well, it seems Sasuke-teme took his time in tracking down his brother. Took him two years to catch up to him, and thankfully for us he attacked him while he was still on our tail. It should buy us some time, and we really need to find Kenichi-chan a good home. I can't have him out there with me in danger any longer."

"A smart decision from Naruto? What is this world coming to?" Tsunade could really see the kid's growth. He would make a great Hokage one day.

"Well in any case, I think I can find him a good family," A great idea crossed Tsunade's mind, "...in fact I have the perfect couple in mind. For now I want you to head over to Iruka's and grab some shut eye. Head back here tomorrow at 9am, so we can get your records sorted out, okay?"

Another yawn escaped the exhausted blonde.

"Hai, hai. Night Baachan, Ero-sennin."

"Night Gaki" The newly appointed Kazama escaped through the window, desperately seeking a bed.

* * *

"He took it well." Tsunade poured herself another cup of sake, passing the jug to her old teammate.

"Yeah, I kind of think he's been subconsciously preparing himself for it for years. You know this isn't going to go over well with the council?"

"I know, but he's worth it." Tsunade smiled widely.

"He would be proud."

"Yeah, he would be."

* * *

Morning came way too quickly for one Kazama Naruto.

A quiet knocking at the door to the Umino household awoke the blonde from his slumber on the couch.

He groggily rolled over and tested his two legs, stumbling to the front door. He slowly opened it, covering his eyes from the bright sunlight that streamed in.

"...Hello..?"

"Naruto-kun? I heard you were back but I didn't expect you to be here." A soft spoken woman with a small pig in her arms entered the apartment. She couldn't help but stifle a giggle. "I like your hat Naruto-kun."

To be honest, Naruto did too. He had even bought a matching one for Kenichi in their travels. It was still an embarrassing situation none the less.

"Eh? Uh... thanks..." He immediately removed it and blushed a bit. In situations like this, it was best to turn the conversation around, so Naruto went on the offensive.

"And what happens to bring you to Iruka-sensei's apartment so early in the morning Shizune-neesan?" A lecherous grin appeared on his face.

"Uh.. well.. you see." A matching blush appeared on the girl's face. Thankfully for her, Iruka had decided to make his appearance at that very moment.

"Ohayo Shizune-chan, Naruto-kun." A small blonde with matching cap followed the elder man.

"Oh I see now, Shizune-_chan_ is it?" It seemed there was plenty of embarrassment to go around this morning. Iruka coughed a bit to regain his composure.

"Well, how else should I greet my fiance Naruto?" Times really had changed.

"Really?! That's great news! I'm invited to the wedding right? I do think I would look dashing in a tuxedo." As Naruto was lost in his own world, Iruka proceeded to heat up some breakfast for the unusual amount of company in his apartment this morning.

"Otousan! Hurry up and grab some breakfast. We got to head over to the tower in a few minutes."

"That kid, is why I keep you around. Where would I be without you?" Kenichi let out a laugh.

At this point, Shizune was extremely confused.

"Otousan?" Iruka just shook his head at his soon to be wife.

"I'll explain everything later dear." Iruka knew first hand how long the story was.

"Want to meet up with me and Kenichi-chan for lunch, Iruka-sensei? Tell any of the others you see to meet up with us at Ichiraku's, ne?"

"Sounds like a plan Naruto."

* * *

Hinata prided herself on always being on time. She guessed it was something she had picked up from Kurenai in her genin days.

She stepped into the Hokage's office precisely at 8:58 am. She blamed her two minute earliness on her excitement. She was greeted by the other occupants of the room, Tsunade and her apprentice Sakura.

"Ohayo Hinata! You here for the jounin exams too?" Sakura was clearly a bit excited as well.

"Hai Sakura-san, but is it only us two?" Her answer came from the Hokage, who had clearly only recently woken up from a nice sleeping session on her desk.

"No, we're entering three Konoha nin into this exam, as I feel that only the three of you rise up to the expectations of a jounin at your age." Sakura, of course, had to immediately begin guessing who the third member was.

"Hmm who could it be... Shino maybe? Neji and Shikamaru have already made jounin, so they are out... Kiba maybe. Don't tell me its Ino-pig! Why if she's the third one in this exam, I'll..."

Sakura's incessant ranting was calmed by her sensei.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be excited when you find out who it is. Especially you Hinata." What could she mean by that? That must mean it was one of her team mates, as that was the only plausible answer.

A knock on the door created a heavy silence that filled the room.

"Come on in." Tsunade quickly composed herself, and hid away the sake jug on her desk. Apparently, whoever this person was, she refused to show any weakness in front of them."

The door slowly creaked open to reveal...

"Yo." A man with a mask covered face nonchalantly waved a greeting.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here? I'm pretty sure you don't need to take the jounin exams."

He walked into the room, leaned against the back wall and whipped out his favorite orange book.

"Astute observation Sakura, and you would be correct. I just stopped by to say Hello."

"He's a proctor Sakura, and since he's here an hour early, I would guess he's hiding from Anko."

"Now now, why would you assume such a thing Hokage-sama. What sensei would not come to see his student off to her very first jounin exam eh?" Kakashi never let his skill of crafting bullshit dull, something he made sure to practice daily. Plus, he really wanted to see how these two reacted to Naruto. It should be a great show.

* * *

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"I'm late! Hurry up Kenichi-chan!" Naruto rocketed himself along rooftops towards the Hokage tower. Once he had broken into that first cup of ramen, he had found it extremely hard to stop himself until he had emptied Iruka's cabinet.

"I'm trying Otousan!"

"Almost there boy! Just a bit further. And remember to keep your head up. The old hag really isn't as scary as you make her out to be."

"I'll try." The panting boy responded.

Blasting past the ANBU on duty, Naruto barreled straight into the Hokage's office at 9:10 am.

"I'm here Baachan! Now let's get this little problem with the records cleared up." He was distracted from his goal by two loud gasps and a slight chuckle from Kakashi.

Sakura was gaping, her mind in shock as she tried to process the situation. Hinata was ten times worse, as all her feelings for her crush came flooding back, leaving her speechless.

"Is that really you...Naruto?" He broke out into a wide grin, removing any doubt that was left in her mind.

"Of course it is! I told you I would come back didn't I?"

Hinata's day had been made.

He was really back. Five years she had waited for his return, and he was finally back. Her emotions were overflowing: surprise, shock, anger, regret, and most importantly, love. Tears streamed down her cheeks, as she couldn't keep them in any longer. Her feelings hadn't changed for the boy over the years, if anything they were greater than before. Here was her chance, and she would not let it pass her this time.

"What the hell were you thinking you baka!" Okay, maybe she would have to wait to talk to him until Sakura stopped wailing on him. "We thought you were gone! All these years and not one word from you!" The girl broke down into tears, feeling very similar to Hinata as her pent up aggression was vented. "Leaving me here all alone, like Sasuke. I can't believe you didn't even say goodbye to any of us when you left! You could have been dead for all we knew."

"I can't say anything Sakura-chan. I did what I had to, but I really am sorry it hurt you all so much." He brought the girl into a hug to calm her down. "Everything will be ok now, alright? I'm back, and I'll fulfill my promise to you. No more tears, alright?"

Hinata couldn't help but feel a bit jealous at the sight in front of her. Here was her crush holding a woman like she had always wanted him to hold her, and her newly found resolve was lost. This was what he wanted right? He had chased after Sakura before he left, so it must be his own dream to be here holding her. It hurt, but she would endure it for him.

Sakura had calmed down, her emotions appeased by the hug she was receiving.

"Otousan, who are these people?" Naruto shifted his body from Sakura's grasp, and brought his right hand behind his back, crossing his fingers. This was the predetermined sign made between father and son, and Kenichi caught it.

"Ohh, Sakura-chan, Hinata, Kakashi-sensei, this is my son, Kenichi-chan." This had all been planned out to milk the most explosive reaction out of Sakura. He had told Kenichi about his teammate before, and the two had planned the perfect plan for their reunion.

"NANI? How in the world do you have a son Naruto?!" Sakura, her past tears forgotten, was on the edge of beating Naruto into the ground for a second time.

Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head and let out a chuckle.

"Well... you see... you remember our first big mission back in Wave right?"

Sakura dumbly nodded her head, while Kenichi was doing a fine job holding in his laughs while under scrutiny.

"Well after we saved the bridge... there was this one girl, and well, she kind of wanted to show her ..._appreciation_ for my efforts. One thing led to another, and ...well you know how those things work, right?" The desired effect was achieved. Sakura was fuming, but she was most definitely out of her depression, which Naruto had deemed more important than his own wellbeing.

"NAR – U – TO!"

No one noticed the Hyuuga Heiress who stood on the other end of the room. This falsified information had brought back another of her bad habits, as she collapsed to the ground.

* * *

(A/N): Be sure to tell me what you think. I know it took me long enough, but I finally got all the background out fo the way, and can move on in the story. 


	6. Chapter 5: Adolescere

(A/N) Sorry about the long gap in between updates, but you know how life is. For those of you who were confused, Kenichi is nine years old presently. When Tsunade saw him for the first time, she assumed he was around seven or eight based upon his looks, meaning that he is rather short for his age. This is also why Naruto refers to him as "short stuff." Since he was eight during the escape from Rock, he is currently nine years old with Naruto in Konoha.

I started off this chapter with a bit of Sasuke, and I thank Black Lagoon for inspiring the amazing kill. Also, I'm proud to say I finally broke 20k words.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and this fanfiction is not supported by the people who do. It was created entirely for entertainment purposes, and I am making no money off of it.

* * *

Chapter 5: Adolescere

The midmorning sun created a wide array of colors over the forests on the border of Fire Country. Kashiwa Takehiko would normally stop and take in the breathtaking beauty created over the horizon, but this morning he and his team had other things to take care of. His gaze returned to his teammate who had cornered the last mercenary in between himself and the shore of the nearby lake.

"You _are_ going to tell us what you know, right buddy?" The Uchiha repeatedly pulled his sword slightly from its scabbard at his hip, and let it drop back into place, creating a rhythmic series of clinks.

"Hmpf, all the man in the cloud cloak said was for us to take care of his brat brother." The poor man said all of this with a smirk, as he slowly backed away from the Uchiha while glancing over his shoulder, closing in on the edge of the water.

Clink...Clink...Clink.

"Hmm. I don't think that's the answer you wanted to give me..." In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Sasuke had brought his sword out and re sheathed it, taking off the mercenary's left arm below the shoulder with a clean strike. "...try again."

The mercenary was reduced to letting out a stream of profanities as the pain hit him in a wave.

"Fucking God Damn! What the hell are you thinking you crazy bastard?! This hurts like..." The Uchiha toned out the man's ranting with the clinking of his blade.

Clink...Clink...Clink.

"It appears once was not enough. My brother sadly underestimates me by sending you failure mercenaries against me." Again the Uchiha brought out his katana to remove the other arm in an efficient manner. "Third time's a charm, ne?"

The man dropped to his knees, his jaw clenched from the pain as his blood formed a sizable pool under him.

"Bastard, I wouldn't tell you anything even if I did know. Just kill me like you did all the others." The man mustered up his courage and spat at Sasuke's feet. The 17 year old just gave out a sigh.

"Alright then, have it your way." Sasuke walked over to the man and took a hold of his hair, dragging him along behind him as he began to water walk onto the surface of the lake. He stopped once he passed the shallows and threw the man out in front of him. The mercenary desperately tried to stay afloat, but it was proving to be difficult with his current lack of arms.

"If you change your mind, yell really loud and I might come save you, alright?" Sasuke could see that the man was realizing the hopelessness of the situation and watched as his eyes changed into those of fear. With a slight smirk of his own, he turned and walked back towards the bank.

Takehiko called out to his teammate with a laugh as he returned.

"Man, that was fucking cold-blooded. At least that snake bastard taught you some useful things, ne?" Takehiko gave the Uchiha a pat on the back as he stepped onto land.

"Take-niisan watch your mouth! You'll never get a girlfriend if you keep talking like that." The third member of the team, Kashiwa Hoshi, appeared from her hiding spot. She had never liked watching things like this.

"Sis c'mon, its just you out here, and you know I can't help it." Hoshi gave her brother an accusing glare before turning her questioning over to the Uchiha, slightly wincing each time she heard the man scream out from the water.

"So what's the plan now Sasuke-sama?" Takehiko could see the look of admiration his sister gave the Uchiha, and gave a mental sigh. He supposed she could pick a worse man to fawn after though, as there was no one else he would rather have at his back in a fight.

"Yeah _Sasuke-sama_, where to now?" Even if he did respect the man, he still had his fun with him. His sarcastic comments this time only earned him a glare.

"I suppose we head to Konoha then, and wait him out."

* * *

"Itai!"

"Be quiet baby, it can't hurt that bad." Sakura was standing over Naruto, her hands alight with green healing chakra in an attempt to heal some of the injuries she had caused.

"Yeah, contrary to popular belief, being punched through a wall is walk in the park, eh?" His comment only furthered to increase his pain with a smack to the head.

"You two be quiet! How in the hell do you have so much energy in the morning?" Due to Tsunade's alcoholic tendencies, she had never been a morning person.

Hinata watched the scene play out in front of her as she mentally calmed herself down. Naruto had explained his little joke after Sakura had revived her from her badly timed case of fainting, and while it had been welcomed news, she still wasn't sure if she was going to forgive Naruto for pulling her into his prank.

"Alright, can we please move on to the real reason why I called you three here this morning?" Tsunade managed to grab the ninja's attention as she sorted through a stack of papers on her desk.

"As some of you may already now, you three will be participating in the jounin exam being held here in Konoha next week. As Hokage, I ..." Her speech was interrupted by the loud questioning of a certain blond.

"But baa-chan, I'm still a genin right?" Tsunade shot a glare at the boy signaling for him to stay quiet.

"As I was saying, My role as Hokage has given me insight into each of your situations, and I believe you three are prepared for this upcoming exam. In the case of Sakura and Hinata, I have been able to watch your growth through your missions as chuunin, and I believe you two now have the experience needed for a rank advancement. In the case of the gaki, Jiraiya _persuaded_ me into letting him in this exam. While it is not recommended, there is no rule preventing lower ranked ninja from being registered." Naruto broke out into a grin, as he pondered what the old pervert had done in order to get him a place in this exam. If he had to guess, he would say it had involved a lot of sake and some gambling after he had left last night.

"You three will need these registration forms for the exam next week, and I will be giving you the week off in order to prepare yourselves. This is an individual exam, and I only expect the best from you three." Tsunade's tone took on a more serious tone. "Konoha needs to show her strength in the upcoming days, to prove our recovery from the Sound attack. "

"Don't worry baa-chan, I'll be sure to put on a good show for you." Naruto broke out one of his trademark grins.

"That's what I'm worried about gaki. Now if you two girls will wait outside for a bit, I've got some business with Naruto to take care of, and you can catch up with him afterwards."

* * *

Hinata exited the room with Sakura, her head still muddled up as an after-effect of the entire situation.

"So he's really back." The girl beside her whispered as the door shut. "I bet you're pretty excited, huh Hinata?" The Hyuuga blushed at the comment.

"Umm..." Had she always been that obvious? As a Hyuuga she should naturally be able to conceal her emotions, right?

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure that idiot will figure it out sometime. I'm sure the years have changed him, just as they did you." Sakura gave the heiress a warm smile, helping to strengthen her confidence.

* * *

Naruto gestured for Kenichi to take a seat beside him as Sakura and Hinata left. He turned his head away from the retreating form of the girls only to find the smirking face of the Hokage.

"They've changed a little bit huh, gaki?" Naruto nodded his head in agreement. The time away had definitely been nice to those two.

"Okay, here's your new registration card, and the temporary papers for Kenichi-chan's residency." Naruto took a quick glance at the materials, noting his new name and the fact that his card held the same ridiculous picture it had in his younger days. He thought it was a pretty funny situation that this was the picture that had ended up in most of the bingo books. Tsunade turned her attention to the young boy in the room, who was doing his best to stay calm.

"And for you Kenichi-chan, I have some books and your class assignment for the academy. You start next Monday." This broke the spell of fear cast over the boy, as he broke into a wide grin.

"Really?! Just you wait and before you know it I'll be a stronger ninja than my Otousan here!" The conviction in the boy's voice brought back memories and a smile to her face.

"I'm only expecting the best out of you my boy." She spoke in a mock serious voice, and it earned her a quick salute from Kenichi.

"Hai!" The boy's enthusiastic response caused Tsunade to smile as she turned her attention to his adoptive father.

"Naruto, I'm working on finding a solution for you and I'll get back to you soon." Tsunade was of course referring to finding a somewhat more permanent family for the Pengaki, but did not want to reveal the situation to him quite yet. "I expect you'll be meeting up with all your friends now, right? Just don't do anything stupid, especially with any foreign examinees. And Naruto ..."

"Hm?"

"... I'll let you decide how much you want to tell them, but they are going to learn _everything_ sooner or later. If your clothing doesn't give away your father, your registration in the tournament will." As much as it frightened the blond, he had to agree. They deserved to know, especially with the risk he was putting on them from possible Akatsuki involvement. They just didn't need to know immediately, right?

"Sure thing baa-chan."

* * *

Umino Iruka was very proud of himself.

He had manged to pull together most of the rookie nine and what was left of Gai's team in record time, although it didn't take too much beyond saying the name "Naruto" to convince them to come. The life of a ninja was not an easy one, so an opportunity to celebrate was easily accepted.

The company he found himself in warmed his heart. Naruto was an important friend to all these people; no longer was he the lonely boy Iruka was buying ramen for after class. The boy had truly grown into a fine man.

Iruka's trip down memory lane was interrupted by a child's loud shriek of joy. As he eyes moved in the direction of the noise, he was greeted by a loud voice that still surprised him with its new deepness.

"Wow Iruka-sensei, you really were able to get everyone here. I thought at least some of them would be out on a mission or something." Iruka's face lit up in a smirk at the baffled silence that followed Naruto's praise. In all honesty, he had done this because he wanted to see the surprised looks on the rest of his student's faces. He had to admit that the changes in the tall blond haired man who was holding a child on his shoulders were certainly worthy of a little surprise; luckily, he was at an advantage.

"That's Naruto?!" As he had suspected, Ino was the first to talk. Iruka mentally chuckled and wondered what he must have looked like when he saw Naruto last night.

* * *

Naruto nervously walked down the street as he headed towards the spur of the moment reunion with all of his friends. Sakura and Hinata had waited for him outside of the tower, and were happy to know that Naruto had Iruka already looking for the rest of their comrades.

Well, Sakura had been happy at least, he wasn't really sure about Hinata. She had been kinda quiet the whole time, and he had caught her fidgeting once or twice during the walk. Was she really that scared of large groups?

Kenichi had taken an instant liking to Sakura, as he had heard stories about her and team 7 over the past year from Naruto on their journey. He watched her as she chatted with his son, and realized she had really matured over the years. No longer could he see the glimpse of the little girl whose one goal in life had been love, he saw a woman who had worked hard and turned herself into a fine ninja. She carried about her an aura of confidence and strength, something he assumed she had inherited from Tsunade during her training.

He could see some of the changes in Hinata as well, even if they were a bit more subtle. While for some reason she still seemed to avoid eye contact with him, she managed to walk with her head held up and a certain grace that showed her ability, a stark contrast to the old Hinata he had known. It seemed she had gained a bit of confidence in herself while he was gone, and it made him wonder what all he had missed in his five year absence.

It also bothered him that he had immediately reverted to his old happy go lucky facade he had used in his childhood. It hadn't been a conscious choice, just something he had slipped right back into once he was inside the walls of Konoha. It was easier for everyone to seem him as they remembered, and it was easier for him to act like he was the same innocent person he used to be. It was laughable now, a sort of oxymoron, innocent ninja.

Over the last year with Kenichi he had done his best to keep on a cheerful front for the boy who had been ripped away from his only family in the chaotic escape from Rock, but he had lost count of the horrors he had subjected the boy to, a major reason why he was going to ensure that he found him a nice family here in Konoha.

As the stand came into sight, Naruto mentally steeled himself and grabbed Kenichi's arm to flip him up on his shoulders. The boy gave a squeal of joy at his newfound height, which brought a smile to Naruto's face. He had needed that for a bit of strength before he stepped into the stand.

"Wow Iruka-sensei, you really were able to get everyone here. I thought at least some of them would be out on a mission or something." That was the best he could come up with after five years? A little sad, even in his book. He did find their faces quite enjoyable though, and apparently so did Iruka if his smirk said anything.

The most obvious was Ino, who happened to be right in front, and currently had her mouth gaping open at the sight of him. A long scar ran over her right cheek, from above her temple down to the corner of her mouth, which surprised him a bit. While scars were inevitable in their line of work, Ino had always seemed somewhat untouchable. Even back in the academy none of the guys would spar with her as her loud demeanor made her seem above them. It sounded silly he guessed, looking back over it, as she was one of the weakest of the rookie nine, but nevertheless, it still came as a shock. He noticed the intelligence division mark on the shoulder of her black uniform, and mentally approved of her choice. Her skills fit perfectly into that mold.

Across the table from Ino sat Shikamaru, who, as was to be expected, seemed not to be surprised at all. He did notice a flicker of shock in the Nara's eyes as his glance ran over Naruto's cloak, but nothing beyond that. Once he got past the new jounin markings on his vest and the cigarette hanging from his mouth, he really seemed like the same old Shikamaru.

Chouji. What could he say. That guy definitely had done his family proud with his growth, as he easily stood to be the largest of the group. It was plain to see that he had started eating before Naruto had shown up, as the surprised look on his face with noodle's hanging out of his mouth created quite a comical situation. He now wore his family armor and had grown his hair out longer, showing his status as an adult in his clan.

Kiba was sitting near the end of the row, with the now gigantic Akamaru lying at his side. His expression seemed more worried than surprised, which confused Naruto, but he would think about that at a later time. A fully hooded Shino who also carried the markings of a jounin sat beside the Inuzuka, and from what Naruto could see, shared a striking resemblance to his father with his newly grown mustache. The pair seemed relatively unchanged in their appearances, but Naruto could tell they had not been slacking off from their training over the years.

Neji was the one who had brought the greatest surprise. A black eye patch ran across the Hyuuga's face covering up his right eye, and Naruto would put money on the fact that it was the injury from Gai and Lee's final mission. He no longer wore his Konoha headband over his seal, but rather on his arm, in what Naruto guessed was an attempt to show he was not ashamed of his standing. He was also dressed in the traditional Hyuuga male robes, all of which added to his fierce image. Tenten sat beside him, her hair now without buns and cut very short, almost as if to remove it from marking her as female. She still wore somewhat traditional clothing, but her eyes seemed to be much colder than he remembered. Then again, it came with the job.

"That's Naruto?!" Thank god for Ino's ability to break uncomfortable silences.

"Do I really look that different? Everywhere I go people seem to be in shock or something. Hinata here even fainted!" He heard a giggle from Kenichi perched on his shoulders.

"Oh, and congratulations on your acceptance into the intelligence division, Ino. From what Jiraiya tells me it isn't easy to get in there." Naruto quickly waved at the woman behind the counter. "Hey Ayame-chan, get me an order of miso and some sake." He could see his novelty beginning to wear off from the rest of his friends.

"Man Naruto, it's good to have you back. It's felt a bit quiet without you, even if it was a little less trouble." Shikamaru exhaled smoke as he smiled at the blond. "Besides, you're hurting the rookie nine's rep by still being a genin."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm workin on it." Naruto's pout immediately disappeared as his food appeared before him and he dug in. "Itadakimasu!"

* * *

Before he knew it he found himself walking along the main road with Kenichi headed towards their hotel for the night. He felt a little tipsy after his few bottles, but traveling with Jiraiya for five years did wonders for one's alcohol tolerance. He felt his arrival had gone over pretty well, as all of the people present wanted to hear stories about his journey, and he was glad to tell them. The ones he could anyway. A lot of it had to be kept secret, but he said what he could. 

After the initial shock of Kenichi being Naruto's adopted son wore off, and Ino stopped pestering the boy about how cute he was, he spent his time happily playing with Akamaru out of the way. Congratulations also went out to Sakura, Hinata, and himself for their exam nominations, and even though Sakura had continually asked him, he was proud that he hadn't given away any of his new skills. It felt good to be home, here in the fresh air of Konoha, under the bright full moon. Even though five years had changed everything, he still felt at home in this place, and it felt good to have a home to return to.

* * *

(A/N) - I'll try and get the next chapter out as soon as possible, but internet troubles are making it difficult. Remember to leave a review! 


	7. Chapter 6: Peccare

(A/N) Thanks for all your reviews and comments on the last chapter, and I'm glad that the slight change in tone didn't scare too many of you off. I said in the beginning I wanted to make this fic a bit darker than most, but I personally think that it only strengthens the tragedy when you have happy occasions to compare it to. I don't intend to make this fic a complete angst-fest, but after relationships between characters are built up, the only thing to do is tear them down, right? Not to say it happens in this chapter, but be aware. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 6: Peccare 

"Otousan, Otousan..." Naruto groggily opened his eyes to be greeted by the smiling face of his adopted son.

"Huh? What?" Eloquent speech in the morning was not something stressed in this unique family.

"Wake up! You gotta wake up so you can take me to the academy today. It's my first day remember?" How could he forget? The kid had only mentioned it every 20 minutes for the past two days. Naruto rolled over to glance at the clock, not surprised at all by the time.

"It's 5:00 am Kenichi-chan..."

"Yeah?"

"Class doesn't start until 8." The child's face scrunched up in irritation.

"That's beside the point Otousan. Come on get up!" Naruto gave out a long sigh as the small child pushed on his back, rolling him around on the futon. He knew the kid was as stubborn as he was, so there was no way in hell he was going to get any more sleep this morning.

"Alright, Alright, I'm up. Go get dressed and we can run out for some breakfast." The boy nodded in understanding and ran off to find his clothes.

With careful precision Naruto untied the restraints that kept his left arm attached to his side in an attempt to prevent any mishaps with Kyuubi during his loss of consciousness. After a long stretch and the required trip to the bathroom, he began his morning ritual of wrapping the arm and drawing on the required 21 evil-warding seals. Kenichi called him loudly as he was finishing up.

"Come on Otousan, let's go, let's go!"

"Why me?" Naruto muttered and grabbed one of his sake bottles off of the nightstand to take a swig. If he was gonna be up and about, he might as well start his morning right.

* * *

After three hours of dealing with an overly excited child, Naruto guessed he should be pretty happy to see the kid walking through the door into the academy, and therefore knowing that he was going to be free for the next seven or eight hours. 

But for some odd reason he wasn't. There was some apprehension and worry for Kenichi, and a little loneliness, which he hadn't been expecting. Was this how normal parents felt when they dropped their kids off at school? He supposed he could go train now to polish up his skills before the exam and get his mind off this whole situation, maybe find one or two of his friends to go with.

If he could find them. He hadn't run into any of them since the party two days ago, and he only hoped Tsunade wouldn't keep him as busy as he assumed they were after this exam. Sakura and Hinata were supposed to be training too, but he hadn't seen them in any of the fields. There was always Ero-sennin, but ever since he had tried to bring a hooker into their hotel room with Kenichi present, he had forced him to stay in another hotel, and tracking him down was always a pain. Besides, the peak hours for peeping into the public baths were long gone. At this time of day it would only be old ladies because all the younger ones were at work. Geez, the things he sacrificed for his kid.

Well, training field seventeen it was then, even if he had to be alone. At least he could run over some of his seals and prepare a few for the exam in case of emergencies. Who knows what was gonna show up there, right?

* * *

Hinata let out a silent groan as the Hyuuga elder brought in another stack of financial records for the compound. She realized it was important for her to learn these things if she ever wanted to become head of the clan, but did they really have to teach her by throwing her into mounds of paperwork? 

It had already been two days since the reunion and she had yet to see Naruto again. Her father had her running on an intensive training schedule for the upcoming exam, in addition to her normal training with the elders on the less combat oriented side of being head. It really was a pain.

Why did they need the head's approval for the weekly grocery list? Hinata knew the kind old lady who ran the kitchen in the compound, and there was no way she would ever spend more than needed. She had even taught Hinata a thing or two over the years about getting a good deal. Another thing to add to the list of items to change once she was finally head.

A slight cough brought Hinata's attention away from her paperwork up to her cousin Neji who must have entered the room recently.

"Hinata-sama, Hiashi-sama requests you for some extra morning training. He mentioned something about preparing to face medic nins in combat." Great. That must mean he heard Sakura was participating. Being prepared to take out her friend seemed a bit shady, but it was better to know these things than not.

"Hai Neji-kun."

"I'll be out till late tonight, so if you want any help from me you'll have to wait, alright?" Things weren't perfect between the two Hyuuga, but their relationship was no were near as strained as it had been five years ago.

"Sure. Thanks for the offer." With that said, Neji turned around and left the room. He was never one to say more than was needed.

Well, off to training it was then. At least it saved her from this mindless paperwork for a bit.

* * *

"Hn, these Mist ninja were on their way to the jounin exam? How pathetic." Sasuke flipped through the mission log he had scavenged, and kicked the limp body that lay beneath him on the ground. "They should have at least been able to put up a good fight then." 

"Not everyone can live up to your standards, oh great Master Uchiha." Takehiko smirked, taking great pleasure in poking fun at his teammate. His jibe was ignored though, as Sasuke's attention was elsewhere.

"It appears these were the only two candidates from Mist, which works out perfectly for us." Sasuke paused momentarily as he covered the face of the body below him and removed the headband. "Hoshi, you can come out now, they're already taken care of." The girl appeared from a few trees over, trying her best not to look down at the bodies of the two deceased ninja. "You two will go in their place to keep an eye out for movement from my brother. We know his target is in Konoha now, and I don't expect that he will stay quiet at such a great opportunity." Grudgingly, Takehiko was forced to agree.

Their best, and sadly only, means of following Itachi lay in waiting him out in Konoha. There was no way any of them could be expected to keep up a high level henge throughout the entirety of the exam, especially in front of any kages present, and Sasuke would be recognized in his hometown easily. He and his sister were orphans raised in Sound by Orochimaru, and shouldn't have any records in Leaf, making this a simple matter of acting and editing the paperwork they had just run into.

"Sure, whatever. Just don't get angry when I beat those Konoha nin to a pulp, eh?" Takehiko smirked slightly as he fidgeted with the metal quarterstaff on his back. It should be fun playing with his teammate's old friends, especially if they were as good as Sasuke made them out to be in his stories.

"I know what you're thinking Takehiko, and don't underestimate them. Especially if you have to fight my old teammate we ran into with Itachi; he has more than just a few tricks up his sleeve." Sasuke's onyx eyes portrayed his seriousness.

"Hai, hai." Takehiko was unaffected by Sasuke's warning, but he could easily see his sister was not as she nervously fidgeted to his side. "We'll be fine Hoshi, don't worry. I'll take care of combat, and you just be my back up alright?" The girl nodded, slightly calming down at her brother's reassurance.

Sasuke tossed over the items he had removed. "Switch out your headband and read over these papers on our way. We'll get them this time." The siblings nodded and took off after the youngest Uchiha on their way to Konoha.

* * *

"Who knew chakra holding metal was so expensive? I'm going to need a pay advance or something to pay for those kunai." Naruto mumbled to himself as he aimlessly wandered down the streets of Konoha. Kenichi had come home with nothing but stories of his so called "super-fantastical" day and partway through his tale of how he had stolen Iruka-sensei's lunch, he had fallen asleep on the couch. 

Naruto was glad the boy's day had gone well, as he remembered his first day at the academy to be quite different. That could be attributed to a certain demon though, which thankfully didn't apply to the boy.

After short stuff was asleep, Naruto had headed out to find a weapons shop to make him some more of the special Hiraishin kunai. He had found one to form the kunai, meaning he would have to do the sealing later, but they would have to import the metal from god knows where. All he knew was that they better be amazing for what he was getting charged.

Due to his mental struggle of calculating how he was going to pay back his debt, Naruto failed to notice who he came to sit beside when he entered the sake bar.

"Naruto, it's good to see you again." A neutral voice called, causing said blond to glance over to his right wondering who would speak to him.

"Neji?! What are you doing in a place like this?" The rigid image Naruto had of the Hyuuga would never have placed him here.

"We all have our vices." Simple and to the point. At least that still fit.

"Well you're right about that I suppose." After a quick wave to the bartender Naruto brought his attention back to Neji.

"I haven't seen any of you guys around lately. The old hag keep you that busy?" Neji nodded to show his affirmation.

"Sometimes in this profession it's best to stay busy." Busy hands did keep the mind from wandering into the more unpleasant regions. Neji directed a questioning glance at the blond.

"I've been meaning to ask since the reunion, but why do you carry around all that sake if you just order more anyway?" Naruto threw an arm around Neji, grinning widely.

"Let me tell you a little trade secret of us frog summoners, eh? After drinking with the boss a few times you come to realize his sake's a little bit off, and his secret is toad oil."

"Toad oil?"

"Yeah, but only a special type. Mix a little in with some sake and it makes it ten times stronger. Dunno why, but if you drink too much of this stuff it really can mess you up. Gotta watch myself around it." Naruto's drink appeared and he poured out a saucer for himself.

"I see." A short silence spread over the bar as the men drank. Of course it didn't last long, as Naruto hated long silences.

"I'm sorry about Lee and Gai. Wish I could have been there to help out." Neji stopped mid-drink. He obviously had not been expecting this topic as this was the most surprise he had ever seen out of the man.

"No you don't. It was a nightmare." Pain was written across the Hyuuga's face.

"Mind talking about it?" Naruto had never seen so much emotion from his mental model of stoicism, and he wouldn't be surprised if he refused to talk.

"Not much to say. We were sent to pick up a large convoy of grain from a small farming village. Tenten was on patrol on the borders of the town when the sound showed up, and she was captured. We didn't even know she was gone for another two hours. I went to switch shifts with her and heard the screaming... and then I found them. All 19 of them. What they were doing ..." Neji clenched his fist, unintentionally breaking the saucer in his hand. Naruto put a hand on his shoulder, signaling that he could stop.

"No, it's alright. Needless to say, I got angry and dealt with the situation poorly. It cost me this." Neji flipped the eye patch placed over his right eye with his thumb. "Somehow Gai-sensei showed up in time to save my life, and he and Lee did their best despite the odds. It gave me enough time to grab Tenten and run to Konoha. The ANBU sent out afterwards only found the burnt village and their corpses." Neji poured himself a generous serving in his new dish and drained it.

It hurt. It hurt to know that his friends had been hurt and killed while he was gone, and there was nothing he could have done. Even if he was there, he couldn't take 19 sound nin.

"The years have been tough on you guys." Neji showed his agreement.

"On all of us. Hinata-sama has really missed you." After a slight moment for the statement to be recognized, Naruto was a bit shocked. Where did that come from? Why would Hinata, of all people, miss him? The blond's thoughts were interrupted as a loud newcomer entered the bar, obviously already slightly inebriated.

"Oi, Neji, Naruto! How's it goin guys?" Kiba, minus Akamaru, took a seat to the left of Naruto, with his energy switching the mood over from it's previous somber setting. Naruto was glad to see he was back to his previous self, especially after the odd encounter at Ichiraku's.

"Well Neji, I think this counts for a special occasion, ne?" Naruto pulled the first of his sake bottles off his belt and placed it on the counter. "Drink up Kiba, it's on me tonight."

* * *

Neji was frustrated. Naruto had been the one to pull out his "special" sake, and he was the one who currently was passed out on the ground below his seat. It was a troublesome situation, to say the least. 

"Come on Kiba, help me carry this idiot to his room. Tsunade gave me his room number; apparently she predicted something like this would happen." Kiba was nearly as bad off as Naruto, but thankfully he gave a nod and threw one of Naruto's arms over his neck.

It wasn't that long of a walk back, but as Neji closed the door behind their three man party, he could see Kiba wasn't going to make it much longer. Throwing Naruto onto the open bed, he noticed the sleeping child across the room.

"Idiot, getting that drunk when he has a kid here to take care of. He's either completely irresponsible, or he just happens to completely trust us." The situation brought a smile to his face, despite his disappointment. Who would have thought Naruto would ever have a kid, much less be the first of the bunch with one? He really seemed to do well with the kid too, from what he saw earlier.

Turning around to leave, Neji realized Kiba had fallen asleep on the room's couch. With another sigh, he threw an extra blanket on the Inuzuka and left the room. It would be alright to leave him there for the night, right? What was the worst that could happen?

* * *

Kiba awoke the next morning and realized he had no clue where he was. He hated when that happened. With a slight groan, he rolled off the couch and stretched, grabbing his head as he realized how much it really hurt. 

Well, his dad always told him the best way to get rid of a hangover was to drink more. When he thought about it, that didn't really make any sense, but who was he to argue? Besides, that stuff had been amazing.

Sneaking quietly over to the right side of Naruto's bed, Kiba reached over and carefully unhooked the first of the three bottles. The blond was sleeping on his back, so it wasn't too hard to access the bottles. With a slight shake, Kiba realized the bottle was now empty and portrayed a small frown of dissatisfaction. Oh well, there were two more.

Grasping the cork of the second bottle is his teeth, Kiba pulled it out and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Without a second thought, he opened wide and put the bottle up to his mouth.

He immediately gagged as the warm liquid entered his throat. He spat out what he could, creating a mess all over the floor. The taste almost made him vomit, as he realized what it was.

"Blood..." He couldn't believe it. Why was Naruto carrying around a sake bottle full of blood. What kind of sick freak was he?

He didn't have time to think through the implications, as he felt a strong hand grab onto the back of his neck, squeezing with a tremendous amount of force. He winced from intense pain that ran through his back.

"Naruto... I didn't mean to, honest..." Was he trying to kill him for finding out about his blood obsession? Mustering his might, Kiba pushed on the arm behind him to twist around and look at his assailant. He was shocked to find Naruto with his eye's closed, still softly snoring.

The pain increased as the nails dug into his soft flesh. What was going on here? He had heard of sleep-walking but this was ridiculous. His savior came in the form of a nine-year old child.

"Otousan! Stop that! Wake up already!" Kenichi ran over and sucker punched his father in the face. The death grip on Kiba's neck immediately went slack as Naruto was dragged into the realm of the living, grabbing his face.

"What are you thinking Kenichi-chan? That hurt!" Naruto rubbed the side of his face where a small red mark could still be seen.

"Otousan your arm was hurting the dog man." This brought a confused look to Naruto's face.

"Huh?" The situation sank in as Naruto glanced over and saw Kiba glancing back at him with a small amount of terror in his eyes.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Kenichi-chan, go get washed up for school, would you? And thanks for waking me up." The boy nodded, eager to remove himself from the tense situation. Naruto increased his mental cursing, trying to find the best way to explain.

He was so stupid for getting drunk with his friends and completely forgetting about his arm's unique requirements. When he had been out with Ero-sennin, the old man had known about his special case, and he had forgotten that people were ignorant. How was he going to get out of this one?

With a final sigh for his own stupidity, Naruto gathered his resolve. They had to be told eventually, and Kiba was as good as any to start with.

* * *

(A/N) A bit of a cliffhanger I suppose, but I promise things always turn out for the best. At least in the beginning of this fic. To summarize Tenten's past for those who are pondering on it – She now hides her status as a female, the Sound nin had her for two hours, and whatever they were doing put the ice cold Neji Hyuuga into an emotional rage. I hope this spells it out for most of you. 


End file.
